‘Illegal hawking’ of raw meat allegedly seen at Sengkang void deck multiple times, SFA investigating
A Sengkang resident was horrified to witness what he described as the “illegal hawking” of raw meat at a void deck in the vicinity.
According to Stomper Jamiro, the makeshift butcher has appeared at the void deck of Block 107 Rivervale Walk on at least three occasions, including once on Aug 29.
The resident said the group gathers every Saturday morning, with frozen pork being the main item on sale.
“I felt very angry, of course,” recounted the Stomper.
“They are doing this so brazenly in the open with a chopper around,” he added.
When asked if any member of the group explained what they were doing to him, Jamiro said: “No. They even asked me if I wanted to buy.”
He also added that the group on Aug 29 was the largest group he had seen thus far.
Jamiro shared videos of his confrontation with the alleged hawkers on Aug 29. In the video, he asked them what they were doing and if they knew that selling raw meat at the void deck was illegal.
The people gathered at the void deck appeared to converse in Mandarin before one of them replied to him, saying: “Not selling, we are splitting (the meat).”
Another video shared with Stomp shows a man, who is not part of the group, explaining to Jamiro that a member of the group had apparently purchased the meat wholesale and is cutting it up to sell to the others.
Meanwhile, chattering in Mandarin can be heard in the background. Slabs of meat can also be seen on the table and on the ground, along with a weighing scale and a cleaver.
Jamiro told Stomp he wanted to share the news for public awareness.
SFA investigations ongoing
In response to Stomp’s queries, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Sept 9 that it is investigating the matter and will take enforcement action against those caught selling food products in public spaces without a valid licence.
Under the Environmental Public Health Act, the hawking of food products in public spaces without a valid licence issued by SFA is not permitted. 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.
Anyone who comes across any suspected illegal hawking of goods and/or food are advised not to patronise them and make a report via the agency’s online feedback form.
As of Sept 21, Jamiro said the group has not made any further appearances.
“I don’t know where they run to.”
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