SINGAPORE-CONTAMINATED MEAT SCANDAL.
A minimarket is in trouble with the law for supplying meat to the Indian rojak stall behind what is possibly Singapore’s worst case of mass food poisoning.
But the meat might have nothing to do with the food contamination that left more than 130 people ill after they had eaten at the stall last week.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) told The New Paper yesterday it will be taking action against the meat supplier.
The reason?
According to AVA spokesman Goh Shih Yong, Hanifa Minimart contravened the Wholesome Fish and Meat Act for the unlicensed distribution of meat products. These had been stored in unapproved coldroom stores at two locations along Geylang Serai Road.
Hanifa Minimart, located opposite the Geylang Serai temporary market, occasionally sells meat to the Rojak Geylang Serai stall.
But there has been no official finding that Hanifa’s products were responsible for the food poisoning.
The law states: ’No person shall use any premises or permit any premises to be used as a processing establishment or a cold store except under and in accordance with the conditions of a licence granted by the Director-General.’
The maximum penalty for illegal meat distribution is a $50,000 fine and a jail term of two years. For second-time offenders, the penalty goes up to a $100,000 fine and three years’ jail.
As for the use of unlicensed coldroom stores, the maximum penalty is a $10,000 fine and one year’s jail.
AVA officers visited the minimart and its two coldrooms last Friday, said Hanifa Minimart’s managing director, Mr MH Iqbal, 43.
He said: ’I don’t know what AVA’s conclusion is because they have not been in touch with me since Friday, but I can tell you that we have nothing to do with the food poisoning cases.
’We only occasionally sell to them (Rojak Geylang Serai) beef lung, liver and spleen because we happen to be nearby.’
Mr Goh said AVA was alerted by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to check the minimart following a complaint that it had allegedly sold expired meat.
In January and February, the NEA investigated claims by a Hanifa Minimart customer, who alleged that he bought expired meat there last December.
Mr Zakkeer Khan, 38, a meat retailer, told The New Paper yesterday that he had on one occasion bought ’sheep feet, sheep liver and sheep head’ from the minimart.
He alleged that he had found food items that had expired ’use by’ dates.
However, the NEA has cleared the minimart of selling expired meat.
A spokesman for NEA said: ’All previous feedback by Mr Zakkeer pertaining to Hanifa Minimart have been looked into and found to be unsubstantiated, that is, Hanifa Minimart was not selling expired food.’
Mr Iqbal said this was the first time that he has had a complaint about expired food.
He said categorically: ’We never sell expired goods. If the goods are held up due to lack of sales, our practice is to dump it.’
As proof, he produced an invoice dated 14 Jan which showed the payment of $856 for the disposal of expired meat at a NEA-approved incinerator.
He also had his staff take The New Paper team into his coldroom where the labels on the cartons showed that the meat was not expired.
Mr Iqbal said: ’Frozen meat can be kept for a year or two. Most of the time, the turnover for our stock is three to six months.
’We’re also concerned about public health. That’s why we dump expired meat. We don’t sell it.’
He wondered if Mr Zakkeer could be a business rival.
Mr Zakkeer said in response: ’I’m not their competitor. I sell in Jurong, not in Geylang. I brought this matter up because I’m interested in public health.’
