Owner of meat processing firm fined $18,000 for multiple hygiene-related offences
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SFA officers found cockroaches and electrical switches caked in grime at the premises of Pai Choi Siang's establishment.
PHOTOS: SINGAPORE FOOD AGENCY
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SINGAPORE - The owner of a meat processing business was fined $18,000 on Wednesday for failing to keep his premises clean.
Pai Choi Siang, the owner of meat processing establishment Kim Soon Seng Trading, was fined in court for multiple hygiene-related offences under the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act.
Singapore Food Agency (SFA) officers had found cockroaches and electrical switches caked in grime at Pai’s Woodlands Loop premises.
They also found the walls of the premises and floor of the freezer area were not clean and hygienic, and that Pai had failed to keep “vermin from (entering) and harbouring” in the premises.
These “repeated hygiene lapses” were found during an inspection on March 31, 2022, said the SFA in a statement on Wednesday. It noted that the lapses had “demonstrated a clear disregard for food safety, despite enforcement actions taken by SFA previously”.
The agency said it has directed the licensee to correct the lapses and take necessary steps to improve the food safety practices and the cleanliness of its premises in the interest of public health.
“Food safety is a joint responsibility as food can be contaminated anywhere along the food chain. While SFA continues to be vigilant and works to ensure that regulatory measures are in place and properly enforced, the industry and consumers must also play their part,” SFA said.
All food establishments should ensure that their premises are clean and well-maintained, as well as adhere to proper food hygiene and food safety requirements, it added.
SFA will take enforcement action against operators of meat processing establishments who do not adhere to regulations or comply with food hygiene and food safety requirements. Those convicted can be fined up to $10,000 or jailed for up to a year, or both.
Members of the public who come across poor hygiene practices in food establishments are advised to not patronise them, and provide feedback via SFA’s online feedback form at www.sfa.gov.sg/feedback
