Requirements for Home-based Food Businesses

Anyone selling food in Singapore, including home-based food businesses, must comply with the prevailing food laws and regulations.

SFA will take enforcement actions for food safety breaches, such as selling food that is unsafe or unsuitable for consumption. Home-based businesses implicated in food safety incidents may also be directed to stop operations immediately or to recall food products sold.

Home-based food businesses are not allowed to offer food catering services given its scale of operations. Food catering includes the provision of buffet lines or packed meals, which poses higher food safety risks due to its large scale of operations.

As such, only SFA-licensed food businesses can offer food catering. Licensed caterers are not allowed to run catering services from home.

Food retailers, such as hawker stalls, restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, canteens, and temporary fairs, are licensed by the SFA. They can only sell food that is, prepared on their licensed premises, or obtained from other licensed establishments.

Given that home-based businesses are not licensed-establishments, food retailers are not allowed to obtain food from home-based businesses.

If you are a home-based food business, you are not allowed to sell your food to food establishments licensed by SFA.

Home-based food businesses are not allowed to prepare food at home to sell at temporary fairs, even if they hold a licence to operate a stall at such fairs.

They are also not allowed to sell their food to other stall holders at temporary fairs.

Stall holders of temporary fairs are restricted to selling food that is legally imported, prepared at their licensed temporary food stall, or sourced from other licensed establishments. Stall holders are not allowed to offer food originating from home-based businesses.

Ready-to-eat (RTE) raw seafood is classified as a high-risk food because such food is not subjected to heat treatment process needed to remove the microbiological contaminants which poses food safety risks.

As such, businesses that offer RTE raw seafood must have proper facilities to preserve cold chain and segregated processes to remove any microbiological contamination. As home-based businesses are usually small-scale operations, they are unlikely to have such facilities and hence, they are not allowed to offer RTE raw seafood.

RTE raw seafood includes sashimi, oysters and raw marinated seafood. The definition of seafood extends to seawater and freshwater fish, crustacea (e.g. crabs and lobsters), shellfish, echinoderm (e.g. sea urchins) and molluscs (e.g. clams and mussels), and the eggs and young of any fish.

You can only use ingredients that are legally imported or sourced from licensed manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that the food is safe for consumption by your customers. 

• Do not source ingredients from other home-based businesses as they are not licensed.
• Do not use food items you brought back from your travels as these items are strictly for your personal consumption.
• If you intend to use imported ingredients, you can import them yourself or go through a licensed importer. You will need a licence from SFA if you wish to import them yourself. Please see What You Need to Know for Import of Food for more details.

Home-based food businesses must comply with the prevailing food laws and regulations to ensure that the food you sell is safe for consumption. When your food is safe to eat, you reduce the chances of food incidents which can have costly consequences. The best way for home-based businesses to ensure food prepared and sold is safe for consumption is to observe food safety practices. Here are three ways to get started:

• Enroll in WSQ FSC Level 1 as the course will equip you with essential food safety knowledge and skills for correct food handling.
• Follow the Guidelines on Food Safety & Hygiene Practices for Residents Preparing Food under the HDB/URA’s Home-based Small Scale Business Scheme.
• Educate yourself with food safety tips.