AVA penalises importers of instant mala hotpot products: report
Importers of Ba Shu Lan Ren – self-heating hotpots containing meat – have been fined by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and their products have been seized, said a Straits Times report.
Also known as Ba Shu Hotpot, the product comes with a heat pack that can steam a bowl for up to 20 minutes. The product, which originated in Chengdu, has a number of flavours – original, rice and meat, and beef.
AVA has not approved the import of such products containing meat, said a report in The Straits Times on 9 October.
“As AVA did not approve these products for sale, the ‘AVA certificate’ circulating online is fake,” said the agency in a statement to the newspaper.
“Food products containing meat can be imported from only approved sources that comply with AVA food-safety standards and requirements, as these products could carry animal and food-borne diseases of public health and trade importance,” said the statement.
“Licensed food importers are required to ensure that the food products comply with the AVA’s food-safety requirements and standards, regardless of the channel of sale.”
The instant hotpot is available online from websites such as Qoo10 and also on selling platform Carousell.
AVA has urged buyers to exercise discernment, and to buy food only from reputable sources.
If convicted of importing food from unapproved sources, importers face a fine of up to $50,000 and/or a jail term of up to two years for the first conviction. The penalty for a second or subsequent conviction is a fine of up to $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to three years.
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