How can the
Singapore government protect consumers from being affected by contaminated food
from global sources?
In 2007, frozen
meat and vegetable dumplings imported from China contained pesticide causing
food poisoning in Japan (Chanda, 2013) and in the next year, melamine
contaminated milk products took the lives of at least 6 children and caused
300,000 children to fall ill in china (Branigan, 2009). Melamine had been
deliberately added into the milk to boost its protein in order to pass nutritional
tests. Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Hong Kong made a move to ban and recall
Chinese dairy products in 2008 (Klamann, 2008). Globalized trade has enabled an
increase in the variety of food products available for consumption and at the
same time also increases the growing risk of consuming tainted food brought in
from other countries,
Singapore
imports over 90% of food products as it has a limited land resources. The over
reliance on imported food products exposes Singapore to a high risk of being
susceptible to food scandals (Tan, 2013). Singapore has to be alert in ensuring
that imports are safe for consumption as tainted food can bring about severe socio-economic
consequences. With the rise in food scandals occurring around Singapore, the
Singapore government has to continue to be vigilant and ensure that regulations
are secure to protect consumers from being affected by contaminated food from
global sources. Two ways in which the government can do so is to work with
international food safety authorities and continue to remain vigilant.
Products that
are harmful will continuously arise as producers utilizing cheap chemicals to
fulfill requirements and find ways to reduce costs and maximize profits. Also,
unprecedented animal epidemics such as the mad cow disease need to be guarded
against. Diseases can be transmitted when a person consumes infected animal
meat.
Currently, the Agri-Food
& Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has strict requirements for
imported and locally manufactured food to comply with. The import of meat and
meat products are authorized only from approved sources. Imports must have a
health certificate by a veterinary authority of the country of origin to
certify that Singapore's animal health and food safety requirements are met
(AVA, 2013). Imports with high risks are required to be sent for testing to
certify the safety of the imported food (Singapore customs, 2013). The government
gives out food safety excellence and food safety partners’ awards to encourage
the food industry to guarantee the safety of food provided commitment.
As the saying
goes, prevention is better than cure. The government agency AVA should also
work closely with food safety authorities internationally to share information
and work on protecting the health of consumers. This way, when a certain food
is found to be affecting the health of consumers, the food safety authority of
that country will pass information regarding the food scandal on to the food
safety authorities in other countries immediately to prevent the problem from
escalating.
Furthermore,
Singapore should not take the zero incident rate for granted. The AVA
government agency should continue to be vigilant and not slack in the strict
requirements they have. Employees should be well taken care of to prevent them
from taking bribes to let imported food that do not meet requirements in to
Singapore.
Despite being a
small number, Singapore producers should be educated and warned severely about
unethical actions that are harmful to the public. Producers who are guilty of
such actions must be severely penalized.
In preventing contaminated
food from being consumed, consumers are protected from harm. Issues such as
consumers distrust arising from unethical selling of tainted food would not
exist.
References
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA). (2013). Requirements to
Import, Export and Transship
Food. Retrieved October
12, 2013, from http://www.ava.gov.sg/AVA/Templates/AVA-GenericContentTemplate.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7b2BA0A4AA-05D8-4E3C-A8F9-60F26F90EA76%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fFoodSector%2fImportExportTransOfFood%2fReqToImportExportTransshipFood%2f&NRCACHEHINT=Guest#begin
Branigan,
T. (2009, November 24). China executes two for tainted milk scandal.
theguardian.
Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/nov/24/china-executes-milk-scandal-pair
Chanda,
N. (2013, April 4). One man’s meat is another man’s poison. YaleGlobal
online.
Retrieved from http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/one-man’s-meat-another-man’s-poison
Klamann, E. (2008, September 20). China Orders
recalls as milk scandal widens.
Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/09/20/us-china-milk-idUSSHA8903920080920
Singapore
customs.(2013). Agri-Food
and Veterinary Authority (Processed Food).
Retrieved October 10, 2013,from http://www.customs.gov.sg/leftNav/trad/TradeNet/Agri-Food+and+Veterinary+Authority+(Processed+Food).htm
Tan,
P.H. (2013, July 19). Opening remarks by
Ms Tan Po Hong, chief executive
officer,
agri-food and veterinary authority of Singapore, at AVA’s food safety awards
night on 19 July 2013. Retrieved
October 10,2013, from
http://www.ava.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/9253E7B2-E57D-4992-982C-1304E73748D6/26395/CEOsSpeechforFoodSafetyAwardsNight13_Final.pdf
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