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Source:
www.case.org.sg |
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17 SHOPS CAUGHT THIS YEAR FOR
BREACHING FOOD REGULATIONS |
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Minority errant shopkeepers need to
clean up their act |
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Last year, 13 out of 42 or 31% of retail outlets
surveyed by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) were found selling
expired food products. |
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In April 2005, CASE conducted a second survey,
this time involving 60 major and small-to-medium-sized retail outlets
island-wide. |
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The survey showed 17 out of the 60 retail outlets
or 28.3% breaching the Food Regulations ¨C either by not removing all expired
food products or having food products with improper food labels on their
shelves. |
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The retailers surveyed were from five sampling
zones ¡ª central, north, south, east and west and comprised of supermarkets and
franchised convenience stores, as well as mini-marts, provisions shops, and
sundry shops. |
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On average, 30-50 items were sampled at each of
the small-to-medium retailers and 100-200 items at each supermarket. The food
products randomly sampled were in accordance with the list of pre-packed foods
that require date-marking under the Food Regulations. (Please refer to
Annex 1 for the list.) |
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Of the 60 outlets found contravening the Food
Regulations, 17 outlets were found having expired food products. An estimated
900 samples were checked at the 17 outlets, and 3% or 27 samples, mostly
biscuits, chips, chocolates and sweets were found to have been past their
use-by or sell-by dates. Specifically, the expired food products were found in
major retail outlets, mini marts and provision shops. |
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Some outlets sold food products with improper food
labels: |
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o two
outlets stocked food products with expiry date-marks written in foreign
languages.
o one
outlet sold candy chocolates without any expiry date-marks and
o one
outlet is suspected of misleading consumers by concealing the original expiry
date-marks with new labels |
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The cases relating to expired food products have
been referred to the National Environment Agency (NEA) for their follow-up
action. On public health grounds, NEA takes a serious view of anyone caught
selling expired foodstuffs and conducts their own regular checks on retailers
across Singapore ¨C CASE understands the NEA has inspected 367 shops between
Sept 2004 and Apr 2005. |
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In relation to the findings of this survey, NEA
will check to ensure the errant retailers are not selling other expired food
products and prepare the necessary documentation to assist the Agri-food and
Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in prosecution of the case under their
Sale of Food Act. As for the cases relating to improper labeling, these have
been referred to the AVA for enforcement action. |
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Under the AVA¡¯s Sale of Food Act, the sale of
pre-packed food with an expired date-mark and/or an incorrect food label is an
offence. |
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Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with
the regulations shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $1,000, and in the
case of a second and/or subsequent conviction/s to a fine not exceeding
$2,000. (Please see
Annex 2 for more details on the AVA¡¯s regulations on expiry date-mark
and labeling.) |
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Next Steps Ahead |
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CASE will be working with the authorities to train
additional volunteers for our new Mystery Shopper Programme (MSP). |
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The MSP will start from July 2005. It will involve
some 30-50 voluntary surveyors being trained in each session, and has been
organized to strengthen CASE¡¯s consumer watchdog role, to help ensure good
quality hygienic food is being sold to consumers. |
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Specifically, the AVA will teach our volunteers
what is required on food labels i.e the expiry date, ingredient listing, net
weight and name of local manufacturer or the importer and the country of
origin. |
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CASE staff and volunteers will also be taught how
to read food labels better and to differentiate between expired date marks and
labeling irregularities. With the necessary tools and know-how gained from
this training, CASE surveyors will be better equipped for their role and to
work hand-in-hand with the NEA and AVA in relevant future projects. |
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CASE will also be working with the authorities to
continue to keep consumers well informed of the steps they need to take when
buying food products so that they can make better choices for themselves. |
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To ensure their own safety, consumers are advised
to check the expiry dates and food labels on products they purchase. Consumers
who have inadvertently purchased expired or improperly labeled food products
should quickly inform the retailer concerned. This will help prevent the sale
of such products to other buyers. They are also advised: |
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o to
keep CASE informed of such outlets so that we may include them in our future
surveys
o to
report offending retailers to NEA should they come across the sale of expired
food products or to AVA on other improper food labeling problems. |
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Consumers who buy
goods close to the expiry date should use the product before the use-by or
sell-by date. |
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Advice to Retailers |
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CASE urges businesses to cease selling expired and
improperly labeled products. |
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If CASE finds evidence of retailers who are repeat
offenders and who do not seem to be mindful of their responsibility in
ensuring that the food-products at their outlets are not expired and properly
labelled, we will not hesitate to publicly blacklist these errant vendors to
serve as a deterrent to others and to warn them not to engage in such
unacceptable practices. Retailers should bear the following in mind: |
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i. Under the
Food Regulations, only those food products listed in Annex 2 are required to
have an expiry date-mark. However, if a date-mark is placed on the product,
then retailers have to ensure that the product sold is not passed its expiry
date. In addition, importers and distributors of any pre-packed food product
have to ensure that the date mark and food label are in compliance with the
Food Regulations.
ii. All
retailers are advised to take responsibility in checking and monitoring the
expiry dates of their food products. They have to do so seriously and
regularly as this concerns the health of those who purchase and consume their
products. By placing an expiry date mark on a product, the manufacturer is
making a clear statement that the quality of the product is not guaranteed if
consumed or used after the
expiry date.
iii.
Retailers should promptly return outdated or improperly labeled stocks of food
products to the manufacturers/suppliers/distributors, or dispose of them in an
appropriate manner. |
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CASE will continue to conduct food expiry
date-mark and food labeling surveys on a regular basis. We shall also assist
affected consumers in seeking redress. The public can contact us at CASE
hotline 64631811. |
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Yeo Guat Kwang
President
CASE |
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More..... |
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Source:
Consumers Association of Singapore Press
Release 17 May 2005 |
17 retail outlets found selling expired food products
