Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Long Yue Teng Trading Pte Ltd faced the music as they were slapped with a hefty S$58,000 fine for two significant offences under the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act. Their crimes? Possessing illegally imported meat products intended for sale and unauthorised disposal of detained items.
According to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the company’s directors, Wang Limin and Koon Kay Kheng, were hit with respective fines of S$25,000 and S$4,000 for “failing to prevent the offences from being committed.”
In a shocking discovery during an April 2023 inspection, SFA officers unearthed over 5100kg of assorted meat products at Long Yue Teng’s leased cold store. These products, illegally imported from unapproved sources in China without valid permits, were all swiftly seized.
In what might be an attempt to save their skins, the importer also disposed of part of their hairy crab consignment in October 2023, right in the middle of SFA’s investigation. This was done without SFA’s approval and despite instructions “not to tamper with nor release the consignment” before the laboratory test results were out.
Singapore’s food import regulations, while stringent, are kept for good measure, ensuring food safety and keeping shady sources and their potentially risky products at bay. Here’s the lowdown: only licensed importers can bring food into Singapore with consignments declared and attached with a valid import permit. Meat and meat products? They must originate from accredited sources in approved countries that play by Singapore’s food safety rulebook.
Fancy breaking these rules? Think again – offenders caught importing or possessing illegally imported meat products for sale without a valid permit face fines up to S$50,000 and/or up to two years behind bars.
On the other hand, those who tamper with items seized or detained by SFA without an authorised officer’s permission are liable to a fine not exceeding S$10,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 12 months.
