In 2015, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has set up the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act to restrict the sale hours of liquors at retail outlets and to prohibit the consumption of liquor in public places. The Act is also aimed at helping limit accidents and crimes related to alcohol intoxication.
Such laws are put into effect to control the entry and spread of products which are deemed dangerous to the public, people’s health, as well as to the environment.
MHA Lifts Ban on Food Items with Alcohol Content Starting January 18
However, in an announcement made by the Ministry of Home Affairs, starting Friday (January 18) the sale of alcoholic products that are not beverages from stores regardless of the hour will be made legal, as shared in a report by the Straits Times.
Prior to this, under the same Act, such products are banned from being sold in stores from 10:30 pm to 7 am. Similarly, the consumption of liquor in public places is not allowed from 10:30 pm to 7 am, with the intention of maintaining public order.
And while the MHA has announced the exemption of all non-beverage alcohol-containing food products from the licensing requirements of the Act, all beverages, however, will continue to be regulated since they pose a significantly higher risk for abuse, the ministry explained.
It has been known since October of last year, that the ministry has been studying the possibility of making an exemption for the sale of non-beverage products with alcohol content, which only has little to low likelihood of alcohol abuse.
As part of the measures in applying the new ordinance, the ministry shared that it will work with the police to monitor the situation on the ground, and periodically review and update the legislation as necessary.
The decision was based on the fact that non-beverage products with alcoholic content are usually kept at a level that is not typically intoxicating, and so the decision was a welcome development for businesses that offer these products.