Speech at Launch Of The Future Ready Food Safety Hub at NTU - Ms Grace Fu

Speech By Ms Grace Fu, Minister For Sustainability And The Environment, At The Launch Of The Future Ready Food Safety Hub On 27 April 2021 At Nanyang Technological University

Professor Subra Suresh, NTU President

Ms. Chan Lai Fung, Chairman A*STAR

Mr. Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman SFA

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. Good morning. Thank you for inviting me to the inaugural Food Science and Technology Global Conference today.

2. This is the first time that the Nanyang Technological University (or NTU) is bringing together food science and technology experts from around the world to discuss sustainable food systems, food processing, food safety and food innovations. The fact that this is being convened even as countries battle the COVID-19 pandemic, shows the importance of food security to Singapore and the global community.

Enhancing Singapore’s Food Security

3. Singapore is heavily reliant on imports to meet our food needs. We currently import more than 90 per cent of our food. This leaves us vulnerable to potential disruptions in the global food supply chains. In addition, food-producing countries are facing increasing pressures, ranging from climate change to outbreaks in plant and animal diseases, some of which not only impact food supply but also food safety. Among the strategies to enhance food security, the Singapore Food Agency (or SFA) is working to transform Singapore’s agri-food industry into one that is highly productive, innovative and sustainable. Our vision is to meet 30 per cent of our nation’s nutritional needs with locally produced food, by 2030.

4. As part of this plan, the Singapore Government has set aside S$144 million for the Singapore Food Story Research and Development programme. This is jointly developed by SFA and the Agency of Science Technology and Research (or A*STAR). I congratulate the research teams from NTU as well as other Institutes of Higher Learning and companies which were recently awarded funding under this programme, for their innovative research proposals in sustainable urban food production. The awarded proposals aim to improve productivity and achieve economic viability in both agri- and aquaculture farming. These exciting proposals also aim to translate R&D outcomes into advanced systems and products that help to monitor and improve crop and aquatic health, thereby improving the overall yield.

5. When it comes to the future of food security, harnessing innovation and technology is the way forward. We need the involvement of public researchers and industry to work with SFA to create new solutions to ensure a secure supply of safe food.

Importance of Food Safety

6. But even as we make a big push to enhance food security via technology and R&D, it is imperative for us to ensure that our food is safe, including food derived from new food technologies. Food safety is a necessary component of food security. This is even more critical for future foods that do not have a history of consumption. When it became clear to us that novel foods such as cultured meat could be an emerging growth area, SFA started engaging the scientific community and industry on the possible approaches to regulate the safety of novel foods and ingredients. In 2019, SFA introduced a novel food regulatory framework, which requires companies to go through pre-market safety assessment for novel food that do not have a history of being consumed as food. SFA also established a Novel Food Safety Expert Working Group that comprises experts in relevant fields such as food toxicology, bioinformatics, nutrition, epidemiology, public health policy and food science and technology, to provide scientific advice. One example of a novel food that has gone through SFA’s rigorous safety assessment framework is Eat Just Inc’s cultured chicken. Last year, Singapore became the first in the world to allow cultured chicken to be sold as an ingredient in Eat Just’s nugget product. As food technology evolves, we will need to continue to keep abreast of the latest developments and emerging scientific data to ensure food safety.

Launch of FRESH

7. Today, we are embarking on another chapter of our food safety journey. I am excited to launch the Future Ready Food Safety Hub, or FRESH. A partnership between A*STAR, SFA and NTU, FRESH serves as a collaboration platform to bring together Government, industry and academia to support the food innovation ecosystem and safeguard food safety. FRESH will work towards boosting food safety related R&D capabilities, developing talent and enhancing food safety risk communications.

8. One of FRESH’s key functions is to enhance R&D capabilities for food safety risk assessment and protocols for novel foods, functional ingredients, and new food processing techniques. FRESH also supports the food innovation ecosystem to allow “first-in-market” food products to be safely launched in Singapore. The industry can tap on FRESH for R&D and preparation for regulatory assessments for novel foods. I am confident that FRESH will provide useful perspectives on food safety to support our efforts in urban farming and alternative proteins.

9. With the establishment of FRESH, we now have another platform to bring together scientists across multiple disciplines and organisations, including strong support from NTU’s Food Science and Technology Programme, A*STAR’s Singapore institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), SFA’s National Centre for Food Science and across the wider food ecosystem. The complex challenges to food safety that we face today will continue to evolve and will require a multi-disciplinary approach that covers food science, supply chain, nutrition, engineering, and consumer insight. It is important to have the necessary talent pool with the right expertise to take Singapore into the next lap in food safety.

10. As the host institution for FRESH, NTU offers a wealth of research expertise. NTU is already working with SFA via the Novel Foods Safety Expert Panel and separately with A*STAR researchers on microalgae and cultured meat. The Government will continue to work with our FRESH partners to develop talent and build capability in food safety science through strategic collaborations.

Conclusion

11. Let me conclude. Food safety is a joint responsibility and consumers play an important role. While FRESH collaborates with stakeholders to enhance food safety, it will also work with them to enhance public awareness of novel foods. This will help consumers better understand the safety and benefits of certain types of novel foods, as well as emerging food safety risks. With this knowledge, consumers will be better equipped to make informed choices.

12. Congratulations to NTU, A*STAR, and SFA on the launch of FRESH. I look forward to the tripartite partnership in shaping Singapore into a global hub for food innovations of the future.

13. Thank you.