Company fined $6k for illegally importing 150kg of fresh vegetables from Malaysia

GH Enterprise Pte Ltd was fined $6,000 by the court on Wednesday (Nov 4) for illegally importing fresh vegetables for sale.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said in a statement that officers from SFA detected 150kg of undeclared fresh vegetables in the consignments imported from Malaysia by the importer in January this year.

All the illegal consignments were seized.

"In Singapore, food imports must meet SFA’s requirements. Food can only be imported by licensed importers, and every consignment must be declared and accompanied with a valid import permit," said SFA.

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.

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.