SINGAPORE: Five importers were fined a total of S$28,000 on Wednesday (Jul 22) for illegally importing more than 2,500kg of fresh produce and more than 900kg of processed food from Malaysia.
The illegal consignments were detected by officers from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) from September to November last year, as well as on Jan 8 this year, it said in a news release.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe imports, which consisted of about 2,565kg of undeclared and under-declared fresh fruits and vegetables and about 936kg of undeclared and under-declared processed food, were all seized, it added.
“Chang Cheng Mee Wah Food Ind and Chin Sam Chiap were fined S$14,900 and S$5,600 respectively for illegally importing fresh fruits and vegetables and processed food,” SFA said.
“Q N Q Enterprise, Q N S Wholesale and TNT Vegetables Importer & Exporter were fined S$3,000, S$2,000 and S$2,500 respectively for illegally importing fresh vegetables.”
[h=3]READ: Company fined for illegally importing fresh vegetables, processed food from Malaysia[/h] AdvertisementAdvertisement[h=3]READ: Vendor fined S$2,500 for illegally importing fresh vegetables from Malaysia[/h]Food imports into Singapore must meet SFA requirements and food safety standards.
“Food can only be imported by licensed importers, and every consignment must be declared and accompanied with a valid import permit. Illegally imported vegetables are of unknown sources and can pose a food safety risk,” the agency said.
Those found to illegally import fresh fruits and vegetables may be fined up to S$10,000 and/or a jail term of up to three years.
Meanwhile, offenders who illegally import processed food may be fined up to S$1,000, and up to S$2,000 for a subsequent conviction.
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