S’pore man alleged Hougang supermarket sold expired pork belly, SFA inspection found no sale of expired food

A Singapore consumer claimed that certain "Pork Belly Mixed Herbs" products at Prime Supermarket's Hougang Street 11 outlet carrying "reduced to clear" stickers were allegedly being sold for almost three days after they had expired.

The consumer, Jeffery Ho, posted the complaint in Facebook group "Complaint Singapore" in January 2026, accompanied by an image of the product.

Expiry date

According to the image, the product which had an expiry date of Jan. 19, 2026, carried a "reduced to clear" sticker with the note "consume by today".

Responding to Mothership's queries, Ho said the image was taken at Prime Supermarket's Hougang Street 11 outlet on Jan. 21 at 7:19pm.

Ho then commented on one of Prime Supermarket's Facebook posts, requesting that the supermarket conduct an investigation.

Ho claimed that Prime Supermarket at Hougang Street 11 used price stickers to cover the expiry dates and continued selling the products for almost three days after they had expired.

"All three "reduced to clear" packages on the shelf had the same issue, with their expiry dates deliberately covered by stickers which appears to not been accidental," he said, adding that consumers should check the expiry dates for items they plan to purchase.

Hougang Street 11 outlet

Mothership visited the outlet before 12pm on Jan. 23, 2026 and found that there were four packs of the "Pork Belly Mixed Herbs" product left on the shelf.

Checks by Mothership revealed that the products, all of which had an expiry date of Feb. 1, 2026, did not carry a "reduced to clear" sticker.

Mothership also understands that other "Pork Belly Mixed Herbs" products that carried the "reduced to clear" sticker in the Hougang Street 11 outlet were already sold out as of Jan. 23.

Food safety requirements

Responding to Mothership's queries, a customer service staff from Prime Supermarket said: "With respect to markdown items, our priority is to clear all stock prior to expiry and remove items from shelves in accordance with food safety requirements."

The staff added that food safety protocols have been reinforced with staff to ensure full compliance with all necessary precautions and measures.

SFA investigated, did not find sale of expired food

Responding to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it had investigated and did not detect any sale of expired food products at the time of the inspection.

"The operator acknowledged that it failed to remove some expired items on a previous occasion and has strengthened processes to prevent this from happening again," said SFA.

It added that the agency instructed the operator to ensure that no prepacked food products are sold after the stated expiry date, and expiry dates are clearly shown on the food packaging.

Food safety is a joint responsibility, SFA noted, adding that "while SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food safety practices and ensuring food products sold are safe for consumption".

SFA also emphasised that consumers are advised to check food products carefully, including the expiry date markings and for any signs of spoilage, before purchase and consumption.

SFA added: "SFA takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices.

"As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained."

Members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report to SFA via the online feedback form.

They may also refer online for more information on date marking or expiry dates.

Top photos via Complaint Singapore/Facebook, Mothership