Company fined $5,000 for illegally importing about 250kg of vegetables

Ang Qing
The Straits Times
July 27, 2022

Another company has been fined $5,000 on Wednesday (July 27) for illegally importing fresh vegetables for sale.

Topstar Trading had failed to declare and under-declared about 250kg of fresh vegetables imported from Malaysia on March 23, last year, said Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

All illegal consignments were seized, it added.

The company's director, Tiong Lee Chian, was also fined $5,000 for failing to prevent the offence from being committed.

On Monday (July 25), another importer, JQA, was fined $5,000 for illegally importing about 362.4 kg of fresh fruits and vegetables for sale.

Fruits and vegetables can only be imported by licensed importers, and every consignment must be declared and accompanied with a valid import permit, SFA said.

The agency said illegally imported vegetables are of unknown sources and can pose a food safety risk, for example, when unregulated or high levels of pesticides are used.

Said SFA: "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."

Offenders who illegally import fresh fruits and vegetables can be fined a maximum of $10,000, imprisoned for not more than three years, or both.