Pasar and Iceberg lettuce sold at FairPrice and Sheng Siong recalled after high pesticide levels found

High levels of Fipronil insecticide were detected in iceberg lettuce from a Malaysian farm by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).

Fipronil is a wide-spectrum insecticide commonly used by farmers to control ants, beetles, cockroaches, fleas, ticks, termites, mole crickets, thrips, rootworms, weevils, and other insects.

In an official press release, AVA said the implicated product, imported by Go Fresh Impex Pte Ltd for sale at NTUC Fairprice and Sheng Siong supermarkets island-wide, have since been directed for recall.

In NTUC Fairprice, the product has the brand name "Pasar" and a supplier code of "40".

It is sold as "Iceberg lettuce" in Sheng Siong supermarkets.

The lettuce is labelled with its country of origin as "Malaysia" and is packaged into 400g packets in both supermarket chains.

Customers who have purchased the lettuce may contact the respective supermarket retail outlets for enquiries, AVA said.

AVA also advises consumers to wash and soak vegetables thoroughly before consuming them in order to remove any pesticide residues.