Sunnyland Wholesale Fined S$8,000 For Illegal Import Of Fresh And Processed Vegetables (SFA)

Ng Kai Hong, the licensee of Sunnyland Wholesale, was fined $8,000 by the Court today for illegally importing fresh fruits and vegetables and processed food for sale.

2 On 23 March 2021, during a joint operation conducted by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), a truck carrying food produce consigned to Sunnyland Wholesale was detained by ICA officers at Woodlands Command. The case was then referred to SFA for follow-up investigation

3 SFA’s investigations found that the company illegally imported approximately 1,756kg of undeclared and under-declared fresh fruits and vegetables and 40kg of undeclared processed vegetables in the consignments imported from Malaysia.

All the illegal consignments were seized.

SFA

4 In Singapore, food imports must meet SFA’s requirements. Fruits and vegetables 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 (e.g. if unregulated or high level of pesticides are used). The long-term ingestion of excessive pesticide residues through the consumption of vegetables that have been subjected to pesticide abuse could lead to adverse health effects.

5 Offenders who illegally import fresh fruits and vegetables shall be liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $10,000 and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.

Offenders who illegally import processed fruits and vegetables shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 and in the case of a subsequent conviction, to a fine not exceeding $2,000.

6 Safeguarding Singapore’s borders remains top priority for ICA. ICA will continue to conduct security checks to detect and deter illegal importation attempts so as to keep Singapore safe.

SFA will continue to safeguard food safety through our integrate food safety system, which includes strict import regulations and enforcement, and work closely with border control agencies to deter illegal import across our borders.

Issued by SFA and ICA
17 November 2021

Read Original Media Release HERE.