21-11-2023 (SINGAPORE) Far Ocean Sea Products, a prominent food processing company in Singapore, and its director, Jordan Quek Ruiming, have been collectively fined $378,000 for multiple offences, including failing to display or displaying incorrect expiry dates on 5,880 kilograms of fish and meat products. This case marks the most extensive investigation conducted by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to date.
On November 20, Far Ocean Sea Products was fined S$223,000, while Jordan Quek Ruiming, aged 36, was ordered to pay a fine of S$155,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in Quek serving a 620-day prison sentence. In addition to being a director of Far Ocean Sea Products since July 1, 2015, Quek holds directorial positions in multiple other firms, including Bakers & Co and JSI Investments.
District Judge Eugene Teo, prior to delivering the sentence, highlighted that during an inspection, food products with expiry dates three years past were discovered on the company’s premises and processed for sale. Stressing the unprecedented scale of the offences, Judge Teo emphasized the paramount importance of food safety for all food suppliers.
In October, Far Ocean and Quek pleaded guilty to 30 charges related to the violation of licensing conditions, as well as an additional charge of using a sealed room on the company’s premises for food processing without authorization. The company also admitted to obstructing officers during investigations by tampering with the sealed room. Furthermore, Quek and the company faced 97 other charges, which were considered during the sentencing.
The prosecution described Far Ocean as a “significant market player” in the supply and sale of fish and meat products to various commercial clients, including hotels, supermarkets, food and beverage establishments, airlines, and non-commercial clients both in Singapore and overseas.
During earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutors Niranjan Ranjakunalan, Kayal Pillay, and Gladys Lim revealed that Far Ocean held two licenses allowing the operation of a processing establishment for fish and meat products intended for consumption at their Fishery Port Road facility. These licenses stipulated that each pack of meat or fish product must be clearly labeled with its expiry date.
Subsequent inspections by SFA officers on July 3, 2019, following a complaint against Far Ocean, uncovered a significant number of products lacking proper expiry date markings. Investigations further revealed that the company failed to maintain an accurate inventory of meat and fish products, as well as records of invoices and production dates. Consequently, a substantial amount of expired meat and fish products, some exceeding three years past their expiry dates, were found stored alongside products that had not yet expired.
On the second day of inspection, on July 4, 2019, SFA officers sought access to a locked room designated solely as a dry store. An employee claimed the room was unused and that the keys were not present on the premises. However, officers observed machines for meat slicing, as well as pieces of meat and substances resembling meat fats in a drainage area, through a gap in the door, indicating that the room was indeed used for meat processing.
The officers sealed all three doors to the room to conduct a thorough inspection once the keys were handed over. The keys were obtained the following day, but the room had been cleaned, with the machines wrapped in plastic covers. Subsequent investigations revealed that staff members accessed the room through an opening in a false ceiling. The prosecution stated in October that the company had a long-standing practice of having staff clean the room whenever inspections were scheduled.
