Importer Fined for Halal Mislabeling in Singapore

Yocorn Food Enterprise, a Singapore-based meat and fish importer, along with its director Wang Lijun, were penalized on Monday for mislabeling smoked duck as halal, according to a joint statement from Singapore’s Food Agency (SFA) and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis). The company was fined $35,000, while Wang received a personal fine of $20,000.

The two entities also disclosed that Yocorn sold some of its frozen fish inventory before SFA’s inspection, examination, and certification, which violates Singapore’s food regulations.

In mid-2019, Muis discovered a dubious halal certificate for smoked duck products, allegedly issued by China-based ARA Halal Certification Services Centre and imported by Yocorn, the exclusive distributor. However, ARA denied issuing the certificate. Following this incident, Wang pledged to cease marketing its smoked duck as halal and to eliminate all counterfeit halal logos from its packaging.

Despite the agreement, another false halal certificate surfaced in June 2020, which was also disowned by ARA. Consequently, Muis ordered Yocorn once more to stop promoting and vending its smoked duck as halal. Upon detection of false halal certification, Muis alerted its halal certificate applicants to dispose of their smoked duck inventory and seek alternatives.

An SFA inspection in July 2020, following a report by Muis, discovered 4,455 packages of smoked duck, labeled as halal, in Yocorn’s warehouse. Wang continued to trade non-halal smoked duck as halal, despite Muis’ prior instructions. Charges against Yocorn were formally instituted by the SFA in December 2021.

The laws in Singapore stipulate that every halal packet of meat, fish, and seafood must be marked clearly, and those guilty of mislabeling can face severe penalties, including hefty fines and imprisonment.

In a separate incident, Yocorn allegedly imported and sold over 100kg of frozen sliced smoked salmon trout from China before SFA’s inspection and certification in early February 2022. Singapore law requires that all imported meat and fish products be inspected, examined, and certified before sale, distribution, or export. Those found violating these regulations are liable to substantial fines or jail time.