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Local heritage brand Bee Cheng Hiang, known for its barbecued pork (bak kwa) products, is standing by the information found on its poster regarding what can be brought into Australia, after a complaint that its recommended products were confiscated at customs.

What does the poster say?

The poster lists some Bee Cheng Hiang products as "Recommended" to be brought into Australia, and others that are "Prohibited", such as sliced pork and pork sausages.

The poster also includes a notice, flagged as "Important" with red font, saying that products must be declared on arrival and may be inspected for compliance.

It also provides its source as the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, including the URL where the information was taken from and a QR code linking to the relevant website.

The information was "Last reviewed" on Apr. 7, 2022, according to the poster.

Complaint posted online

Despite the seeming credibility of the information provided by Bee Cheng Hiang on its poster, one customer who purchased items in line with the poster's recommendations apparently did not manage to get the items past customs in Australia.

The customer's parent then took to the Facebook group "Complaint Singapore" to share about the experience.

According to the post, the daughter had purchased a box of Chicken or Beef bak kwa based on the poster's "Recommended" list.

However, the item was reportedly confiscated by a customs officer in Australia.

The customs officer also allegedly said that the information provided by Bee Cheng Hiang was incorrect, when shown a photo of the shop's poster.

"I [suppose] Bee Cheng Hiang has not updated the latest criteria if not that is considered misled information or false advertising. Hope they can look into that," wrote the parent.

Bee Cheng Hiang responds

Replying to queries from Mothership, Bee Cheng Hiang stood by the information in its poster.

Its spokesperson pointed out that the poster's recommended products "strictly follows" what was mentioned on the website.

Here's the relevant section of the page:

Bee Cheng Hiang says customers have brought bak kwa to Australia

Bee Cheng Hiang's spokesperson also said, "We do hear from our customers that they have managed to bring in Chicken and Beef jerky (bak kwa) upon declaration of the items when they visited Australia recently."

The spokesperson added that "customs officers may not be provided with the latest updated information" due to the volume of travellers at airports as borders reopen.

"As the borders reopen after a gruelling two years of Covid-19, we understand that many travellers are flying to visit their family and friends, often bringing along some local delicacies," said the spokesperson.

"We will try our very best to assist our customers should they have any enquiries," they added.

Related story

Top image via Complaint Singapore and Bee Cheng Hiang on Facebook

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