Report : S'pore halted import of iceberg lettuce from M'sia with high levels of pesticide

SINGAPORE, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has suspended the import of fresh produce from the Malaysian farm that produced iceberg lettuce with high levels of pesticide, The Straits Times reported today.

On Oct 4, AVA directed the importer to recall the implicated product as it had detected high levels of Fipronil, a wide-spectrum pesticide, in iceberg lettuce from a Malaysian farm.

The implicated product is imported by Go Fresh Impex Pte Ltd for sale at NTUC Fairprice and Sheng Siong supermarkets.

Quoting an updated statement today, the report said the Authority had also notified the Malaysian authorities that it had detected higher-than-permitted levels of Fipronil in the product.

The report said AVA had requested for investigations to be conducted against the implicated farm, which has not been named.

Food products that fail AVA's inspection and laboratory tests will not be allowed for sale, the authority was reported to have said.

The report said AVA will take enforcement action against importers who bring in consignments of vegetables that are found to have unsafe level of pesticide residues.

The affected consignments will be confiscated and destroyed.

Importers may also be fined, suspended or prosecuted, said the report.

-- BERNAMA