Scope
Regulation 31 of Singapore’s Food Regulations applies to import, sale, advertising, manufacture, consignment, and delivery of food containing heavy metals above prescribed limits. HMI records the regulation 31 metal limits and the Tenth Schedule arsenic/lead table from the Singapore Statutes Online informal consolidation version in force from 30 January 2026.
The ingest covers total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, lead, total mercury, tin, cadmium, and antimony. Non-metal provisions elsewhere in the Food Regulations and the Tenth Schedule row that cross-references current B.P. or B.P.C. limits are outside this numeric load.
Exact limit and units
The regulation and Tenth Schedule state limits in ppm; HMI stores them as ug/kg, with 1 ppm = 1000 ug/kg.
| Species | Matrix | Limit | Unit | Structured value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| total arsenic (tAs) | Beverages: ale, beer, cider, perry, porter, stout | 0.2 | ppm | 200 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Beverages: ale, beer, cider, perry, porter, stout | 0.2 | ppm | 200 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Beverages: spirits and Chinese wine exceeding 40.0% alcohol at 20 degrees C | 0.2 | ppm | 200 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Beverages: spirits and Chinese wine exceeding 40.0% alcohol at 20 degrees C | 0.2 | ppm | 200 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Concentrated soft drinks intended for dilution | 0.5 | ppm | 500 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Concentrated soft drinks intended for dilution | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Fruit and vegetable juice other than lime and lemon juice | 0.2 | ppm | 200 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Fruit and vegetable juice other than lime and lemon juice | 0.3 | ppm | 300 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Beverages not otherwise specified | 0.1 | ppm | 100 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Beverages not otherwise specified | 0.2 | ppm | 200 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Baking powder and cream of tartar | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Baking powder and cream of tartar | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Canned fish and meat, meat extract, and hydrolysed protein | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Canned fish and meat, meat extract, and hydrolysed protein | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Caramel | 5 | ppm | 5000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Caramel | 5 | ppm | 5000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Chemicals used as ingredients or in processing, other than B.P./B.P.C.-limited chemicals | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Chemicals used as ingredients or in processing, other than B.P./B.P.C.-limited chemicals | 10 | ppm | 10000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Cocoa powder, dry fat-free basis | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Cocoa powder, dry fat-free basis | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Synthetic organic colours | 3 | ppm | 3000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Synthetic organic colours | 10 | ppm | 10000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Other colours on dry matter except caramel | 5 | ppm | 5000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Other colours on dry matter except caramel | 20 | ppm | 20000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Dried herbs and spices, including mustard | 1.5 | ppm | 1500 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Dried herbs and spices, including mustard | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Edible oils and fats | 0.1 | ppm | 100 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Edible oils and fats | 0.1 | ppm | 100 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Fat spreads and blended spreads | 0.1 | ppm | 100 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Fat spreads and blended spreads | 0.04 | ppm | 40 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Fish, crustaceans, and molluscs | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Fish, crustaceans, and molluscs | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Infant formula | 0.1 | ppm | 100 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Infant formula as consumed | 0.01 | ppm | 10 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Baby food | 0.1 | ppm | 100 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Baby food | 0.2 | ppm | 200 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Milk and milk products in tins | 0.1 | ppm | 100 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Milk and milk products in tins | 0.3 | ppm | 300 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Refined white sugar and listed dextrose products | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Refined white sugar and listed dextrose products | 0.5 | ppm | 500 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Other sugars including sugar syrups | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Other sugars including sugar syrups | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| total arsenic (tAs) | Other food not specified above | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
| lead (Pb) | Other food not specified above | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| inorganic arsenic (iAs) | Seaweed | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| inorganic arsenic (iAs) | Polished rice | 0.2 | ppm | 200 ug/kg |
| inorganic arsenic (iAs) | Husked rice | 0.35 | ppm | 350 ug/kg |
| total mercury (tHg) | Predatory fish listed in the Fifteenth Schedule | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
| total mercury (tHg) | Other fish or fish product | 0.5 | ppm | 500 ug/kg |
| total mercury (tHg) | Salt | 0.1 | ppm | 100 ug/kg |
| total mercury (tHg) | Other food | 0.05 | ppm | 50 ug/kg |
| tin (Sn) | Any food | 250 | ppm | 250000 ug/kg |
| cadmium (Cd) | Molluscs or dried mushrooms | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
| cadmium (Cd) | Seaweed | 2 | ppm | 2000 ug/kg |
| cadmium (Cd) | Cocoa, cocoa products, or salt | 0.5 | ppm | 500 ug/kg |
| cadmium (Cd) | Other food | 0.2 | ppm | 200 ug/kg |
| Sb | Any food | 1 | ppm | 1000 ug/kg |
The full structured register contains every numeric Tenth Schedule row, including beverage, chicory, coffee, curry powder, dried vegetables, gelatin, eggs, flavouring, produce, canned produce, frozen confection, pickles, tea, sauces, and tomato-paste rows that share the same ppm conversion.
How tested
Regulation 31 itself states the limits and does not provide a dedicated analytical-method protocol for these metal rows in the captured text. Enforcement users should pair the legal limits with Singapore’s applicable official sampling and laboratory rules for food-control work.
Enforcement posture
Regulation 31 is framed as a prohibition: no person may import, sell, advertise, manufacture, consign, or deliver covered food exceeding the stated metal limits. The mercury predatory-fish row uses the Fifteenth Schedule species list, including anglerfish, bonito, eel, halibut, marlin, ray, shark, swordfish, tuna, and related listed species.
History of changes
The captured source is the informal consolidation version in force from 30 January 2026. The Tenth Schedule arsenic/lead table and inorganic-arsenic rice rows carry amendment notes including S 152/2017 effective 1 April 2017 and S 59/2019 effective 1 February 2019. The mercury and antimony rows include S 816/2014 effective 15 December 2014; mercury fish and salt amendments and cadmium salt/cocoa language include S 695/2021 effective 1 October 2021. The cadmium paragraph also includes S 195/2011 effective 15 April 2011.
How it compares
Singapore’s schedule is a broad national maximum-level framework comparable to Codex CXS 193 and other national contaminant schedules, but it retains several source-specific categories and species choices. The Tenth Schedule arsenic rows are total arsenic, while seaweed and rice use inorganic arsenic; the mercury rows are total mercury, not methylmercury. Downstream strictest-limit comparisons must also preserve rows for concentrates, infant formula as consumed, dry-matter colour/cocoa entries, and residual “other food” categories.
Sources
Update history
No substantive edit history is available in this build. The full commit record is available in git.