SINGAPORE – After more than 27 years, pig blood products will soon be available to consumers in Singapore.
In a circular on April 1, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it had approved the import of heat-treated pork blood products from Thailand’s Bangkhla Pig Slaughterhouse after food safety assessments.
The slaughterhouse is the first and only official import application SFA has received since new requirements were established, the agency said on April 3, in response to queries.
In its circular, the agency said each consignment must be accompanied by an official health certificate issued by Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development to certify that the import complies with animal health and food safety requirements in Singapore.
“Traders are reminded that pork and pork products can be imported only from SFA-approved sources,” SFA added.
Animal blood food products, including pig blood and duck blood, had been prohibited in Singapore since the 1999 Nipah virus outbreak that killed an abattoir worker in the Republic. The outbreak also affected pig farmers in Malaysia, and resulted in more than 100 deaths there.
Nipah is a zoonotic virus, which means it can spread from animals to humans. It can also spread directly between humans or through contaminated food.
