Customer says she bought expired tea from FairPrice outlet, SFA inspects store and warns supervisor
A customer who said she unknowingly bought expired herbal tea from a FairPrice outlet later received a refund via PayNow after raising the issue online.
This was after she had initially been told that refunds could only be processed at the same outlet where the items were purchased.
Source: @courtesance on Reddit
The incident first surfaced in a post on the Reddit community r/asksg on 7 March, where the user detailed her experience buying two packets of herbal tea that had already passed their expiry date.
Customer says tea bought from FairPrice had expired in Dec 2025
According to the post, the Original Poster (OP) bought two packets of Chwee Song herbal tea from a FairPrice outlet on 28 Feb at around 12.30pm.
Photo courtesy of MS News reader
Each packet cost S$4.02 and was sold at the regular price, the OP said.
However, when she returned home and was about to brew the tea, she noticed that both packets had already expired in Dec 2025.
Photo courtesy of MS News reader
She then lodged feedback through FairPrice’s online portal.
Shortly afterwards, she received a reply asking her to return to the same outlet for a refund or exchange.
As the outlet was not located near her home, she asked if the refund could instead be processed at another branch.
Otherwise, she said she would have to “incur transport costs to rectify a mistake” that was not hers.
Attempts to resolve issue allegedly went unanswered
After receiving no response, the OP called the FairPrice hotline on 2 March at around 10am to follow up.
The staff member allegedly told her they would ask the officer handling the case to respond.
Later that day at 4.56pm, she received another email stating that refunds or exchanges must be carried out at the outlet where the purchase was made, in line with store policy.
Source: FairPrice
The outlet’s phone number was also provided, but her attempts to contact the store reportedly went unanswered.
When she contacted the hotline again on 3 March, the OP said she was told there was no escalation channel, and that the refund or exchange would still need to be done at the specific outlet.
Netizens share mixed opinions
In her Reddit post, the OP emphasised that the issue was not about the S$8.04 spent on the tea, but about expired food allegedly being sold.
She also asked whether it was standard practice for supermarkets in Singapore to require customers to return to the same outlet for refunds.
The post quickly gained traction, with netizens sharing mixed opinions.
One commenter argued that the OP should have checked the product’s expiry date before purchasing it.
Source: Reddit
Others pointed out that the outlet responsible for selling the item should handle the refund, rather than other branches.
Source: Reddit
FairPrice arranges PayNow refund, SFA inspects store
In a later update, the OP said FairPrice contacted her at about 2.25pm on Sunday (7 March) and arranged a refund via PayNow, meaning she would not need to return to the outlet.
This came after several Reddit users advised her to comment on FairPrice’s Facebook page.
Source: @courtesance on Reddit
The OP also received a response from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), which said it had conducted an inspection at the outlet mentioned.
According to SFA, no expired tea products were observed on display during the inspection.
However, the agency said the outlet’s supervisor was warned to ensure that food items displayed for sale are not expired.
Staff were also advised to conduct daily checks on their inventory, especially for food products.
Source: Our Father’s House Soup Kitchen, for illustration purposes only
Customer says retailers still responsible for food safety
Speaking to MS News, the OP, 45, said this was the first time she had purchased expired food from FairPrice.
She confirmed that FairPrice had refunded the purchase on 8 March.
The OP also expressed appreciation for the assistance from Reddit users, as well as the efforts by SFA and FairPrice to investigate and resolve the matter.
She added that her post was intended to raise awareness about food safety and consumer rights, rather than target the supermarket chain.
Responding to claims that customers should check expiry dates before purchasing items, she said that while consumers can “certainly check expiry dates as a precaution”, retailers ultimately have the responsibility to ensure that products on their shelves are safe and within their valid shelf life.
Also read: Prime Supermarket accused of covering expiry dates on expired products, SFA conducts inspection
Prime Supermarket accused of covering expiry dates on expired products, SFA conducts inspection
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Featured image adapted from Fairprice and courtesy of MS News reader. Left image for illustration purposes only.
