Nine importers fined $23k for illegally bringing in fresh veggies
Nine importers were fined $23,000 on Wednesday for illegally importing fresh vegetables, including leaf mustard and spring onion.
Two of them were each fined an additional $600 for illegally importing processed food for sale, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said.
Officers from SFA and the former Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority had detected 2,848kg of undeclared and under-declared fresh vegetables from March to August.
About 340kg of undeclared processed food was found in the batches of vegetables. All the illegal batches were seized.
Illegally imported food products pose a food safety risk as they are from unknown sources, said SFA. Food imports must meet the agency's requirements and food safety standards, it added.
Food can be imported only by licensed importers, and every batch must be declared and have a valid import permit.
Those who illegally import fresh fruit and vegetables can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.
For illegally importing processed food, first-time offenders can face a fine of up to $1,000, while repeat offenders can be fined up to $2,000.
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