8. Safety Parameters

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Nutritional Milk Powder and UHT Milk
Singapore

This section provides the safety parameters (microbiological, contaminants, heavy metals, pesticides, veterinary residues, and food contact materials).

8.1 Microbiological Standards

	Provision, Limits, Testing Methods
Foodstuff/General Foods	Only microbiological standards applying to ready-to-eat food as defined in Regulation 35 are covered below [1]: Enterobacteriaceae (including Escherichia coli of any strain): <10,000 cfu per gram (for solid food) or milliliter (for liquid food) Notes: The above requirement does not apply to any ready-to-eat food that is fresh fruit, fresh vegetable, or ripened cheese, or that contains as an ingredient one or more of these types of ready-to-eat food. “Ready-to-eat food” — (a) means any article of food that is made available for sale for direct human consumption without the need for cooking or any other form of processing to eliminate, or reduce to a microbiological standard specified in the Eleventh Schedule, any pathogenic or other micro-organism of concern in the article of food; and (b) includes cup noodles, fruit juice cordial, squash or syrup, powdered beverages, and other concentrated foods that are meant to be reconstituted or diluted with fluids before consumption. Escherichia coli of any strain: <100 cfu per gram (for solid food) or milliliter (for liquid food) Bacillus cereus: <200 cfu per gram (for solid food) or mililitre (for liquid food) Clostridium perfringens: <100 cfu per gram (for solid food) or milliliter (for liquid food) Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus: <100 cfu per gram (for solid food) or mililitre (for liquid food) Vibrio parahaemolyticus: <100 cfu per gram (for solid food) or milliliter (for liquid food) in the case of ready-to-eat raw seafood Any pathogen not mentioned above (whether common or introduced in any way, to the ready-to-eat food): not detected
Category Milk and Milk Products	Same as General Foods above.
Product *Milk Powder and Ultra Heat Treated Milk*	Same as above.

8.2 Contaminants and Heavy Metals

Provision, Limits, Testing Methods

Foodstuff/General Foods

Mercury: max 0.05 ppm
Tin: max 250 ppm
Cadmium: max 0.2 ppm
Antimony: max 1 ppm
Aflatoxin B1: max 5 ppb
Aflatoxins, total (B1, B2, G1 and G2): max 5 ppb
Mineral hydrocarbons: Prohibited

Refer to the Tenth Schedule [2] for arsenic and lead limits for the applicable food categories.

Additionally, refer to [3] for other maximum limits set in line with the relevant Codex or regulatory standards of major developed countries.

Category

Milk and Milk Products

Limits for General Foods (see above) apply. Additionally, the below applies:

Melamine: max 2.5 ppm
Aflatoxin M1: max 0.5 ppb

Product

1) Milk Powder

Same as "Category" (Milk and Milk Products) above, except for the following:

For Milk and milk products in tins:

Arsenic (total): max 0.1 ppm
Lead: max 0.3 ppm

For milk powder not in tins:

Arsenic (total): max 1 ppm
Lead: max 2 ppm

2) Ultra Heat Treated milk

For other beverages (including UHT milk) not specified in the Tenth Schedule:

Arsenic (total): max 0.1 ppm
Lead: max 0.2 ppm

8.3 Pesticides

	Provision, Limits, Testing Methods
Foodstuff/ General Foods	Refer to Regulation 30 and Ninth Schedule [4] as well as the list of new MRLs [5] specified for the applicable food categories.
Category Milk and Milk Products	Same as General Foods above.
Product *Milk Powder and* *Ultra Heat Treated milk*	Same as "Category" (Milk and Milk Products) above.

8.4 Veterinary Standards

	Provision, Limits, Testing Methods
Foodstuff/General Foods	For residues or degradation products of antimicrobial agents defined in Regulation 32 [6]: not detected. Notes: “Antimicrobial agent” means any substance of natural, semi-synthetic, or synthetic origin that when administered to a living organism, kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms. For veterinary drug residues, refer to Regulation 33 and the Eighteenth Schedule for the applicable food categories [7].
Category Milk and Milk Products	Same as General Foods above.
Product *Milk Powder and Ultra Heat Treated milk*	Same as "Category" (Milk and Milk Products) above.

8.5 Food Contact Materials

	Provision, Limits, Testing Methods
Foodstuff/General Foods	Regulation 37 prohibits the use of any package or container in the preparation, packing, storage, or delivery of any food for sale that [8]: contains more than 1 ppm of vinyl chloride monomer; yields, or is likely to yield, to its content more than 0.01 ppm of vinyl chloride monomer; or yields, or is likely to yield, to its content any compounds known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, or any other poisonous or injurious substance. It is also not allowed to use any appliance, container, or vessel that is intended for use in the storage, preparation, or cooking of food, and is either capable of imparting lead, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, or any other toxic substance to any food stored, prepared, or cooked in it.
Category Milk and Milk Products	Same as General Foods above.
Product *Milk Powder and Ultra Heat Treated milk*	Same as "Category" (Milk and Milk Products) above.

For testing methods [9]:

The Singapore Food Regulations do not stipulate the analytical methods to test for food safety parameters.

For testing methods, laboratories may use internationally recognized official analytical methods such as the AOAC method, FAO method, or a method that has been verified in collaborative trials. Methods adopted from published papers or in-house laboratory methods that have been fully validated are also acceptable.

The company can approach the accredited laboratories listed in the Singapore Accreditation Council-Singapore Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (SAC-SINGLAS) for the testing of your products. The list of laboratories is available at the Singapore Accreditation Council's website http://www.sac-accreditation.gov.sg (Select Calibration and Testing Laboratories > Select "Chemical and Biological" in the "Field").