SINGAPORE: A Chinese hotpot restaurant was fined S$8,000 on Wednesday (Sep 12) for selling duck's blood, which is prohibited in Singapore.
Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang restaurant, located at 295 South Bridge Road, served duck's blood as a dish.
AdvertisementFollowing a tip-off, a total of 6.3kg of duck's blood was found when the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) conducted checks on Aug 31, 2017.
The product had been imported illegally from China, court documents showed.
Investigations revealed that the restaurant owner had bought the duck's blood from a man via messaging platform WeChat, said AVA.
The man who sold the product over WeChat has since been charged for the possession of illegally imported duck's blood and meat products, and the abetment of illegal import of processed food.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe case is ongoing. It is unclear how the man managed to bring the products into Singapore.
Animal blood food products are prohibited as blood can easily support the growth of bacteria and harbour diseases, AVA said.
"Unhygienic harvesting of blood can also result in the introduction of food borne pathogens into blood food products. Meat, eggs and their products can only be imported from accredited sources in approved countries that comply with our food safety standards and requirements," it added.
Those found guilty of illegally importing food products may be fined up to S$50,000 and jailed for up to two years for their first conviction. For repeat offenders, they may be fined up to S$100,000 and jailed for up to three years.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...