Food caterers primarily provide food and drinks catering for specific events under contract.

Characteristics Of Food Caterers
Statistics & Trends
Government Programmes & Assistance
Licences & Permits
Laws & Regulations
National Events & Competitions
Trade Associations
Key Government Agencies

Characteristics Of Food Caterers

• Food caterers primarily provide food catering services. Typically, services are provided:
  
  
  • for a specific event
  • under contract for a specific period of time
    
    
• Food and beverages supplied may be:
  
  
  • collected by customers
  • delivered to customers
  • served to customers at a specific location
    
    
• Food and beverages may be prepared at:
  
  
  • F&B outlets (e.g. restaurants/coffee shops)
  • central kitchens

back to top

Statistics & Trends

• Food caterers have a high profitability ratio (17.5%) compared to the entire industry. Here are some statistics and trends that you may be interested in:
  
  
  • Overview Of The F&B Industry
    The F&B sector, including food caterers, contributed S$1.7 billion or 0.9% to Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2005.
    
    
  • Snapshot: Food Caterers
    A snapshot of the number of establishments, number of workers, operating receipts, profitability ratio, etc.
    
    
• For more statistics and trends, please refer to the F&B Industry Statistics & Trends section.

back to top

Government Programmes & Assistance

• Food caterers can tap into most of the programmes and assistance available to F&B establishments. For a full list of these, please refer to the F&B Programmes & Assistance section.

back to top

Licences & Permits

Essential Licences And Licence Compliance For Food Caterers

• The licences or permits you need will depend on your set up.
  If you are preparing food and beverages at a restaurant, the restaurant must have a Food Shop Licence.
  
  If you are preparing or cooking food at a central kitchen, you may need to obtain a Food Processing Establishment Licence or Factory Registration.
  
  
• Each of these licences has conditions that you must comply with. For instance, Food Shop Licensees must ensure that all food handlers are registered with the National Environment Agency (NEA).
  
  
• For details, please refer to:
  
  
  • Licences & Permits for Operating F&B Outlets
  • Licences & Permits for Operating Central Kitchens

Other Licences & Permits For F&B-Related Activities

• You must obtain licences or permits