A pre-statutory voluntary notification scheme will be launched November 1 for fruit and vegetable importers and distributors, the Centre for Food Safety says, adding the scheme for fish and fishery products will start in December.

The Government will introduce a food safety bill requiring importers and distributors to register with the centre to facilitate their identification, tracing the source of food and taking follow-up action in food incidents.

Before the enactment of the new legislation and the mandatory registration scheme comes into force, the pre-statutory voluntary notification scheme for importers and distributors will be introduced.

The pre-statutory voluntary notification scheme has been implemented in phases for importers and distributors of game, meat and poultry meat, live food animals and live poultry, and milk, milk beverage, cream and frozen confections.

The centre today conducted a briefing on the notification scheme for fruit and vegetable importers, distributors and local farmers and also listened to their views.

Application forms can be downloaded from the centre's website from November 1. They can also fill in the electronic notification form on the website and submit it to the centre. For enquiries call 2867 5582.