One thing that many pet owners struggle with is finding a place to dine at when they’ve brought their pets along with them. But one month from now, that problem may just be alleviated.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is making a change to its guidelines. This change will essentially make it less of a hassle for retail food businesses to welcome patrons with pets.
99 problems, but finding a place to dine with your pets won’t be one (at least from next year onwards).
The Problem Currently Faced by Pet Owners
For those of us that don’t own a pet, let’s first set out what’s the problem which many pet owners face.
Under the current SFA guidelines, all retail food businesses intending to welcome patrons with pets must have a “special” pet café license. This is regardless of whether the business is serving pet food or not, and whether pets are allowed inside the food premises or only outside at the premises’ outdoor dining areas.
Got animal around your food premises, confirm must apply pet café license.
Due to the hassle that comes with having to convert a normal SFA license to a pet café license, there aren’t that many food businesses welcoming patrons with pets so far. According to SFA, as of end-2024, there are only about 120 food businesses with a pet café license.
For pet owners, this means that there aren’t many dine-in lunch options, if they’d like to bring their pet along with them.
From 1 January 2025, Pets Will Be Allowed at Outdoor Dining Areas
However, SFA’s review of their food safety regulatory framework is bringing about some changes to the pet café license requirement.
From 1 January 2025, only retail food businesses intending to serve pet food will need to convert their SFA licenses to pet café licenses. Retail food businesses which do not serve pet food will not need a pet café license to allow patrons with pets to dine at their outdoor dining areas.
In other words, food businesses with normal SFA licenses can also welcome patrons with pets. However, for such establishments, pets will only be allowed outside the food premises, at the outdoor dining areas — these are areas outside the main structure of buildings or food premises that are not enclosed.
Even if the area is sheltered, it is still considered an “outdoor dining area” so long as it is not enclosed.
The only exception to this rule are hawker centres. Pets will still not be allowed at hawker centres and their outdoor dining areas as these are “communal spaces”, unlike the outdoor dining areas of privately-managed food businesses.
On the other hand, for food businesses intending to serve pet food (which will still need a pet café license), pets will be allowed inside the food premises.
So, what does this change mean for pet owners?
Since food businesses with normal SFA licenses (and of course, an outdoor dining area) are also allowed to welcome patrons with pets now, pet owners will have more places to makan at with their pets.
And what this means for non-pet owners is this — be prepared to see a lot more dogs at outdoor dining areas soon.
But perhaps not cats lah… Here’s why:
The reason that SFA has allowed for this change is simple — the risk of food safety and zoonotic transmission with the presence of pets at outdoor dining areas are low, especially given the other food safety requirements that already apply to food businesses.
But of course, it’s better to be safe than sorry lah. SFA added: “Nonetheless, retail food businesses should adopt good food safety practices to ensure food safety and a conducive environment for all patrons.”
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