Food importer and director fined $4,250 each for illegally importing over 400kg of vegetables
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SINGAPORE - A food importer was fined $4,250 on Thursday (April 14) for illegally importing more than 400kg of fresh vegetables from Malaysia in 2020 for sale.
Lee Yew Lim, director of TSYT, was also fined the same amount for failing to prevent the offence from being committed, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a joint statement on Thursday.
The agencies said a truck carrying food produce consigned to TSYT was detained by ICA officers at Woodlands Command on Nov 17, 2020, in a joint operation conducted by SFA and ICA.
The case was then referred to SFA for follow-up investigation.
SFA's investigations found that TSYT illegally imported 436.2kg of undeclared and under-declared fresh vegetables, which were seized by the authorities.
The agencies said food imports must meet SFA's requirements in Singapore.
"Food can be imported only 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 (for example, if unregulated or high level of pesticides are used)."
The agencies added: "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."
The agencies also said safeguarding Singapore's borders remains top priority for ICA.
"Similar methods may also be used by terrorists to smuggle security items into Singapore.
"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 integrated food safety system, which includes strict import regulations and enforcement, and work closely with border control agencies to deter illegal import across our borders."
Those found guilty of illegally importing fresh fruits and vegetables can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.
