Prime Supermarket accused of covering expiry dates on expired products, SFA conducts inspection

Prime Supermarket accused of covering expiry dates of expired products with price stickers at Hougang outlet

A Prime Supermarket outlet in Hougang has come under scrutiny after a netizen alleged that expired food products were still being sold, with expiry dates seemingly covered by price stickers.

The allegation was shared in the COMPLAINT SINGAPORE Facebook group on 22 Jan.

According to the post, a marinated meat product was spotted for sale on the evening of 21 Jan, despite having an expiry date of 19 Jan.

Price sticker allegedly covered expiry date

In the post, the netizen, who asked to be identified as Mr Ho, alleged that price stickers were used to cover the expiry dates of “reduced to clear” products.

“Prime Supermarket at Hougang St 11 used price stickers to cover the expiry dates and continued selling the products for almost three days after they had expired,” the post read.

Photos shared showed a pork belly mixed herbs marinated meat product with a price sticker placed over the original expiry label.

The price sticker appeared to have been partially peeled back, revealing the expiry date underneath, which was 19 Jan.

Mr Ho told MS News that the photo was taken at the Prime Supermarket outlet on the evening of 21 Jan, two days after the stated expiry.

Multiple packages reportedly affected

Mr Ho further alleged that the issue was not limited to a single product, although he did not take photos of the other packages.

He said all three discounted packages on the shelf were pre-packed meat products of the same brand, though in different flavours, with price stickers covering the expiry dates.

This was also the first time he had encountered such an issue at the supermarket. He urged shoppers to remain vigilant when purchasing discounted items and to check expiry dates carefully.

Comments allegedly hidden after private response from Prime Supermarket

Mr Ho told MS News that he had commented about the incident on Prime Supermarket’s Facebook page on the night of 21 Jan.

He said the supermarket contacted him via private message the following morning, on 22 Jan, apologising for the inconvenience and stating that an internal check would be conducted.

However, Mr Ho claimed that his public comments were later hidden or deleted.

“They hid the comments already, so the public won’t be able to see,” he said, adding that he had also tagged the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) but did not receive a response at the time.

Prime Supermarket and SFA respond

In response to media queries from MS News, Prime Supermarket said that “with respect to markdown items, our priority is to clear all stock prior to expiry and remove items from shelves in accordance with food safety requirements”.

It added that food safety protocols have been reinforced with staff to ensure full compliance with necessary precautions and measures.

Meanwhile, SFA said it had conducted an inspection following the feedback.

“SFA had investigated and did not detect any sale of expired food products at the time of the inspection,” the agency said.

SFA added that the operator had acknowledged failing to remove some expired items on a previous occasion and has since strengthened its processes.

The agency said it has instructed the operator to ensure that no pre-packed food products are sold after their stated expiry dates and that expiry dates must be clearly shown on packaging.

SFA reiterated that it takes food safety seriously and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence is obtained.

Also read: Ex-Beach Road Restaurant Owner Stores Meat Products 8 Years Past Expiry Date, Pleads Guilty