The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has reiterated that residents are still prohibited from bringing bak kwa, a popular barbecued pork delicacy, into Singapore from Malaysia.
The agency clarified that Malaysia continues to be an unapproved source country for pork and beef imports under current regulations.
This reminder follows numerous reports from Facebook users who encountered challenges while attempting to bring bak kwa across the border from Johor to Singapore. One significant incident involved a Facebook user, Wang Everleigh, who shared her frustration on the Complaint Singapore group after being forced to discard S$150 (RM500) worth of bak kwa at a Singapore Customs checkpoint.
Other users in the MY SG Road Trip — Eat, Play, Stay Malaysia! Facebook group also recounted their experiences of thorough vehicle inspections at the border, with some being instructed to dispose of meat products they had purchased for the Chinese New Year.
Many had hoped that the passage of the Food Safety and Security Bill on January 8 would lead to relaxed restrictions on meat imports. However, the SFA emphasized that, although the bill aims to expand the range of countries from which meat can be brought in, the new import limits have yet to be implemented.
For now, the SFA’s guidelines still permit individuals to bring up to 5kg of barbecued pork slices from approved countries such as Australia and Japan.
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