SINGAPORE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) was unveiled on Monday as the sole governmental organization responsible for food scrutiny and security.

The government hopes the move would improve SFA's efficiencies in handling relevant issues which were previously undertaken by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), the National Environment Agency and the Health Sciences Authority.

The new agency would be under the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, whereas AVA will go into history. AVA's non-food related animal, plant and wildlife management services will be provided by the Animal & Veterinary Service with the National Parks Board (NParks).

The SFA will operate a hotline for public feedback on food-related issues, and strengthen management of food-borne disease outbreaks to protect public health.

The agency will also consolidate food laboratory capabilities to deepen competencies in food diagnostics, and research and development in food safety.

Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said in his speech at the unveiling ceremony that food security is vital for Singapore and they would try to transform challenges in food security into opportunities for improvement. Enditem

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