Takeaway Food Packaging in Singapore: What SFA Requires

Takeaway food packaging in Singapore is regulated by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) under regulation 37 of the Food Regulations. An F&B operator must not use, or permit the use of, any package or container that yields a poisonous or injurious substance to food for sale. In practice, that means buying packaging made for food contact and using it within the temperature and purpose it was designed for. The question resurfaced in mid-2026, when a reader’s letter to Lianhe Zaobao asked whether hot drinks should be packed in plastic bags at all, and SFA replied publicly. Here is what the law says, what SFA said, and what to check in your own packaging.

What does Singapore law require of takeaway food packaging?

Singapore law requires that food packaging does not transfer harmful substances into food. Regulation 37 of the Food Regulations, headed “Containers for food”, states that no person shall import, sell, consign or deliver, or use or permit to be used in the preparation, packing, storage or delivery of any food for sale, a package or container that:

• contains more than 1 ppm of vinyl chloride monomer;
• yields, or is likely to yield, more than 0.01 ppm of vinyl chloride monomer to its contents; or
• yields, or is likely to yield, to its contents any compounds known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic, or any other poisonous or injurious substance.

Regulation 37 is an outcome rule, not an approved-materials list. Regulation 37 does not name which plastics or papers are acceptable for takeaway packaging; it prohibits the result, which is a container that passes something harmful into the food. The same regulation also bans lead piping for conveying beer, cider or other beverages or liquid food, a point that matters to any outlet running draught lines.

Is the F&B operator responsible, or only the packaging supplier?

Both are responsible, at different points. Regulation 37 covers the person who imports or sells a container and also the person who uses it, or permits it to be used, to prepare, pack, store or deliver food for sale. A stall or restaurant that packs food into an unsuitable container falls within that wording, even though the operator did not make or import the container.

Testing sits upstream. SFA’s guidance on the safe use of plastic food packaging (dated 28 July 2021) says the responsibility to ensure safety compliance is with the producers of the plastic packaging material, who have to conduct prior use tests so that their products comply with the relevant legislation, and that SFA also conducts safety assessments on plastic food packaging and containers on the market. My reading for operators: you are not expected to run migration tests, but you are expected to buy food-grade packaging from a supplier who can show it, and to use it as the manufacturer intended. This is an interpretation of the regulation’s wording, not a statement SFA has made in those terms.

Can hot drinks and hot food be packed in plastic bags?

Yes, provided the bag is made for hot contents. In a forum reply published on 6 July 2026, SFA responded to a Lianhe Zaobao reader’s letter of 30 June 2026 that urged against packing hot drinks in plastic bags. SFA said takeaway tie-up bags intended for hot beverages are made from thermostable materials that can withstand high temperatures, and are “safe for holding hot beverages when used as intended”. The reply was signed by Associate Professor Joanne Chan Sheot Harn, Centre Director of SFA’s National Centre for Food Science.

The reply carries two operator-facing points. First, SFA confirmed that food contact articles, including tie-up bags for hot beverages, are regulated in Singapore so that they do not release harmful substances into food. Second, SFA reminded all food establishments to use plastic food packaging designed to withstand high temperatures and to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The qualifier that matters is “intended for hot beverages”: a general-purpose carrier bag is not the same product as a hot-drink tie-up bag.

Which plastics suit hot, cold and microwaved food?

Plastic types differ in heat resistance, so the right container depends on what goes into it. SFA’s Risk at a Glance article on plastic food packaging explains that how much of a chemical migrates from plastic into food depends largely on the nature of the food, the contact temperature and the contact time, and that proper use results in insignificant or very low migration. SFA’s table of plastic types gives these properties and common uses:

Three practical limits follow from the same SFA guidance, which is written as safety tips for consumers but applies equally to what an outlet tells its customers. Only plastic containers labelled microwave-safe should be used for microwave cooking or reheating. Cold-storage tubs, such as yoghurt, margarine and ice-cream tubs, are not heat stable and are not made for reheating or cooking food in a microwave or conventional oven. Cling film should not touch food during microwave heating, and only cling film designated as microwave-suitable should go into a microwave at all. SFA also notes that the plastic identification code on a container is marked voluntarily by manufacturers, so a missing code is not proof of anything; the supplier’s specification is the document to rely on.

Can takeaway containers be reused?

Disposable takeaway containers are designed for single use, so SFA advises against reusing them. SFA guidance for consumers states that takeaway plastic food containers used in eating outlets are disposable items, safe for their immediate intended purpose but not beyond what they are designed for, and that they should not be reused for microwave heating. Commercial packaging that has held non-food items, such as detergent, should never be reused as a food container, because it has not been tested for food storage and may carry residues.

Reusable food containers are a different product class. SFA’s guidance, which is addressed to households, describes reusable plastic containers as having the sturdiness and thermal stability needed for repeated use, and advises replacing them once they turn cloudy or discoloured, or show cracks or heavy abrasions. SFA does not set this out as a rule for food businesses; applying the same replacement test to the reusable tubs in a commercial kitchen is my recommendation. Beverage containers have a separate set of obligations under the Beverage Container Return Scheme.

What about ceramic cups, bowls and plates?

Ceramic food ware is subject to lead-leaching limits. Regulation 37 prohibits importing, selling, using or permitting the use of any appliance, container or vessel intended for storing, preparing or cooking food that is capable of imparting lead, antimony, arsenic, cadmium or any other toxic substance to food. As an exception to that prohibition, ceramic food ware is permitted where the lead released into a leaching solution, measured across six units examined, stays within these maximums:

These limits matter most to operators who import their own crockery or commission handmade or decorative pieces. Ask the supplier for a test report against the regulation 37 limits before the items go into service.

What should an F&B operator check before buying packaging?

An operator should match each packaging item to the hottest, oiliest thing it will hold, and keep the supplier’s paperwork. The checklist below is my own working list, built from the regulation and SFA guidance above; it is practical advice, not an SFA-issued standard.

• Ask for a food-contact declaration or test report for each packaging line, and keep it on file with the supplier’s invoice.
• Buy by use, not by price. Specify hot-drink bags for hot drinks, and containers rated for hot or oily food for soups, curries and fried items.
• Check the microwave-safe label before telling customers a container can be reheated.
• Keep non-food and food containers apart. Never decant food into a container that held cleaning chemicals.
• Retire worn reusable tubs that are cloudy, discoloured, cracked or heavily scratched.
• Brief the team. SFA notes that the proper use of plastic food packaging is taught in the WSQ Food Safety Course Level 1, which SFA requires all food handlers to attend and pass.

Packaging choices sit alongside the rest of an outlet’s food safety obligations. For the wider picture, see our guides to the food handler certificate in Singapore, the Food Safety and Security Act, and how to respond to an SFA food recall.