SFA investigating after group spotted selling raw meat at Sengkang void deck

A Sengkang resident was shocked after seeing a group of people selling raw meat at the void deck of Block 107 Rivervale Walk.

The resident, who gave his name as Jamiro, told Mothership that he noticed the group about three times, most recently on Aug. 29.

Videos he took show a group of people gathered around a void deck table as a man chopped meat with a cleaver.

A weighing scale was also displayed.

Concerned

Jamiro said he was worried about food safety, as well as the safety of residents, as the cleaver was used in the open.

He also noted the presence of children, due to a nearby playground.

The resident then went up to the group to question them but was apparently met with no explanation as the group appeared to only speak Mandarin.

In another video, another man, who appeared to be a passer-by, explained to Jamiro that one of the group members had purchased the meat wholesale and was splitting up the meat to resell.

Videos Jamiro took show huge cuts of meat on cardboard around the void deck, with about 12 people gathered around the table.

Jamiro added that he called the police, but was advised to report to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) instead.

Investigation ongoing

In response to Mothership's queries, SFA said officers conducted checks on several occasions for illegal hawking activities at Block 107 Rivervale Walk following feedback.

No sale of food activities was observed during these checks, SFA said.

SFA said it is conducting further investigations and will continue to monitor the situation.

"We will not hesitate to take enforcement action where necessary," the agency said.

Under the Environmental Public Health Act, the hawking of food products in public spaces without a valid licence issued by SFA is not permitted.

SFA added:

"Unregulated street food hawking causes disamenities and poses a risk to public health. Unregulated street hawkers are transitory and cannot be traced if buyers face problems with their purchases. Food sold via illegal hawking may be unsafe, as such food items may not meet SFA’s food safety requirements. Through such modes of sales, these illegal street hawkers are in effect passing risks to the unsuspecting consumer to bear."

Members of the public who come across any suspected illegal hawking of goods and/or food are advised not to patronise them.

They are also advised to make a report via SFA's online feedback form with details for SFA’s follow-up investigations.