Are negative food reviews considered libel?

aen SG

Let's say I publish a statement on my blog that says

1) The so and so Chicken Rice stall in so and so hawker center tastes like they added c0ckroach powder to it.

2) The service sucked and the food is not worth the price. Avoid it at all cost.

3) The ass-faced pot-bellied stall owner's attitude is simply annoying.

Are my statements libel or defammatory?

fudgester SG

Statements 1) and 2) are your personal opinions of the food, and so ought to be okay. I've seen far more scathing food reviews than that, though I think you might want to leave out that part about the c*ckroach powder.

Statement 3) may be construed as defamatory by some more sensitive people. Maybe saying that you don't like his attitude is fine, but saying that he's an 'ass-face' definitely isn't.

Bottom line, if you ain't comfortable with it, then you may not want to post it.

JLennon SG

Defamation more likely than libel as a cause of action. In order to prove that what was said above is not defamatory, there are some available defences. Its unlikely that a blog is able to rely on a defence of privileged publication so the only defence is that the words used were true in substance and in fact.