SINGAPORE: At the supermarket, Madam Christina Choo, 47,
carefully picks her fruit and vegetables, avoiding those labelled
from China. Mdm Wendy Tan, 37, does the same for the biscuits she
buys, forking out at least 20 cents more for a local brand.
A growing number of Singaporean consumers are becoming wary of food
products from China, following recent scares around the world that
have thrown the safety of Chinese exports into question.
Since March, reports have surfaced of tainted pet food and
toothpastes and toxic pufferfish mistakenly labelled as
monkfish.
None of these events, however has touched Singapore, and there has
been only one publicised case of food from China being rejected by
the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) this year 11
consignments of salted duck eggs contaminated with a prohibited
dye.
So, is there anything for Singaporeans to worry about?
Last year, fruits and vegetables from from China accounted for
about 21 per cent of Singapores total supply. Chinese pork,
chicken and duck imports made up a mere 2.4 per cent, while barely
0.3 per cent of pet food came from China.
The country was also Singapores source for 225,960 tonnes of
processed food.
Asked if it was going to step up its checks on Chinese food
products, the AVA said it has in place a comprehensive food safety
system. It constantly keeps a watching brief on the global food
safety situation to identify and monitor potential food issues of
health threats to our local situation, it added.
But even knowing this has not assuaged Mdm Lydia Wans concerns.
The financial adviser no longer buys Chinese canned meat from her
neighbourhood provision store.
Even though our authorities are strict, they do random checking
and theres a chance I might have already eaten the contaminated
product before it gets recalled. Why put my family at risk? said
Mdm Wan, 52, a mother of three.
Food importers TODAY spoke to said while the demand for China
foodstuff from retailers has not dropped, they have become more
vigilant. Mr Jack Koh, president of the Meat Traders Association
and the deputy chairman of Jordan Food International, said his
company flies our guys to China to see how the farms and the
plants that we work with operate.
These routine checks would now have to be doubled, he added.
Mr Tay Khiam Back, president of the Singapore Fruits and Vegetables
Importers and Exporters Association, has been warning his
association members to do more comprehensive research on how a
product is being made overseas, and to communicate to the exporter
what requirements Singapore has.
As for canned food distributor Yit Hong Pte Ltd, which sources 90
per cent of its imports from China, managing director Mr Ngo Soo
Lin said the key was to work with a select pool of reputable
factories.
Besides personally inspecting the factories once a month, Mr Ngo
said he sources for products together with his local Chinese
partners, and submits test results of any new product to AVA for
approval before importing it. None of Yit Hongs canned Chinese
products have been rejected so far.
Companies with factories in China, such as biscuit and candy
importer Sinhua Hock Kee Trading, said their China-based quality
control teams must submit a breakdown of ingredients before
beginning the manufacturing process.