Shopper raises concern over halal chicken allegedly handled near pork at FairPrice Anchorvale Village

Halal chicken allegedly handled near pork at FairPrice Anchorvale Village, netizens raise concerns

Netizens have raised concerns after a FairPrice shopper at the Anchorvale Village outlet alleged that halal chicken was being cut and packed in the same section as pork products.

The Original Poster (OP), @zeba_sg on Instagram, shared the story with @sgfollowsall, and the 25 March repost has since garnered over 8,000 likes and almost 700 comments.

Halal chicken allegedly cut and packed in non-halal area

The OP mentioned that the incident occurred during her daughter’s recent visit to the supermarket.

“[My daughter] was approached by a Muslim lady who informed her that halal chicken was being cut and packed in the same section as pork,” she said.

The date and time of the visit were unknown.

This caused the daughter’s OP to be concerned, so she decided to take a photo of the alleged occurrence.

To the OP’s daughter’s surprise, the halal chicken was allegedly “being handled in the pork section.”

‘Deeply troubling’ situation

The OP said in her post that the situation was “deeply troubling”, given that many Muslim customers who patronise the outlet “rely on proper halal handling practices.”

As such, she decided to speak to the outlet supervisor.

According to the OP, the supervisor acknowledged the mistake and assured her that FairPrice would look into the matter.

She also shared that she had contacted the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) to investigate the issue.

“However, I feel it is important to share this on this platform to raise awareness”, the OP said.

NTUC FairPrice apologises over incident

In a Facebook post later that day, FairPrice responded with a statement regarding the poultry handling at said outlet.

FairPrice stated that they were aware of the social media post, before mentioning: “We understand why customers would be concerned and we take this matter very seriously.”

They assured customers that the “processed chicken was not displayed for sale in the halal section.”

“Nevertheless, we have ceased this practice with immediate effect across all stores,” the supermarket chain added.

FairPrice also expressed its apologies over the concern and discomfort caused, and pledged to review processes to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.

‘Immediate action’ taken to investigate

The following day, MUIS provided an update via a statement on Instagram, stating that “immediate action to investigate” was taken.

MUIS officers inspected the outlet, engaged its management, and confirmed that the processed chicken was not sold within the halal section.

“We thank the public for their vigilance. MUIS remains committed to safeguarding halal integrity and upholding public confidence together with our partners and the community”, it added.

Also read: S’porean questions difference between ‘Halal’ & ‘Strictly for Halal’ tray return, netizens debate meaning