JQA Pte Ltd, an importer of food products, was fined $5,000 by the Court today for illegally importing fresh fruits and vegetables for sale. Its Director, Tan Kar Jiun, was also fined $5,000 for failing to prevent the offence from being committed.

2.          On 17 November 2020, during a joint operation conducted by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), a truck carrying food produce consigned to JQA Pte Ltd was detained by ICA officers at Woodlands Command. The case was then referred to SFA for follow-up investigation.

3.          SFA’s investigations found that the company illegally imported approximately 362.4kg of undeclared and under-declared fresh fruits and vegetables in the consignments imported from Malaysia. All the illegal consignments were seized.

Image: Illegal consignments seized by SFA (Photo: SFA)

4.          In Singapore, food imports must meet SFA’s requirements. Fruits and vegetables can only be imported 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 (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.

5.          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.

6.          Safeguarding Singapore’s borders remains top priority for ICA. 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 integrate food safety system, which includes strict import regulations and enforcement, and work closely with border control agencies to deter illegal import across our borders.

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
SINGAPORE FOOD AGENCY
25 JULY 2022