SFA reminds S’poreans not to bring in bak kwa from M’sia as it’s not an approved source

Bak kwa for private consumption can only be brought in from approved sources: SFA

As the Lunar New Year approaches, more Singaporeans have been caught for bringing in bak kwa, or barbequed pork slices, from Malaysia.

This is not allowed, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in a Facebook post on Saturday (18 Jan), because our closest neighbour is not an approved source of meat.

Only 5kg of bak kwa allowed from approved countries: SFA

In the post, SFA explained that bak kwa, even if it’s for private consumption, can be brought in only from approved sources.

Even so, each person is allowed only 5kg.

Some of the approved countries for various kinds of meat are Australia, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Source: Singapore Food Agency on Facebook

The only Asian country on the list is Japan, which is approved only for beef and pork.

New law removing limitations on approved countries not implemented yet

This may change soon as the Food Safety and Security Bill (FSSB) was passed in Parliament on 8 Jan.

Under this new law, limitations on source countries for meat will no longer apply, according to SFA.

Consumers will also have greater flexibility on the quantity of food brought in for private consumption, with each person allowed to bring in a total of 15 kg of food across all categories.

However, the FSSB has not been implemented yet, with the date announced “when ready”, SFA said in a Facebook post on 10 Jan.

Returning cars being checked at S’pore customs

Some Singaporeans have already run afoul of the current rules, with a netizen posting on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group that he had to throw away RM500 (S$150) of bak kwa at the customs checkpoint.

As he didn’t want to waste the entire amount, he ate 500g of bak kwa on the spot, he said.

A commenter who went to Johor Bahru recently said she saw customs officers checking the boot of almost every car entering Singapore.

The first thing they asked her was whether she bought any festive goods, she added.

Source: Facebook

Other netizens pointed out that he should have known better as the law has been around for a long time.

Also read: Bak kwa prices in S’pore rise by up to S$3/kg ahead of CNY due to rising material & labour costs

Bak kwa prices in S’pore rise by up to S$3/kg ahead of CNY due to rising material & labour costs

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Featured image from Eatbook.

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