How Safe Are Our Vegetables? | Talking Point | Episode 43

90% of the food we eat is imported – including our vegetables. But what if we were eating vegetables that bypassed safety checks? In this episode, host Sharda Harrison heads to Johor Bahru to find out how smuggling operations work, and why vegetable sellers are flouting safety checks. Also, what happens to us if we eat vegetables that have been smuggled?

About the show: Talking Point investigates a current issue or event, offering different perspectives to local stories and revealing how it all affects you.

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[honestlyna]

Time to grow some of my own veggies. Use more natural pesticides. Learn to live with a few holes in my leafy green. Bugs need to live too.

[zkedkdb]

Do they eat bagged salads from the supermarkets in Singapore? Have they had problems with bacterial contamination of leafy greens there like we have had in the U.S.?

[josephmanzuni]

This news story has clearly shown flaws in the Singapore sourcing system. We cant blame Malaysian exporters for it if the vegetables are coming in because our local system has failed.

[madonesmack]

The issue is the demand for visually appealing not about quality. Pest damage vegetables are edible and are as nutritional and healthy too.

[hongzhuanglim]

Every cross border delivery of fresh produce is declared by a Singaporean company before the singapore customs whether it is sent by a non singapore vehicle or not, The singapore company takes responsibility of the delivery.

Secondly the trucks send at “the middle of the night” as it is best time as there are no jams and no ERP. Singapore trucks also deliver vegetables at night as it can be sold first thing in the morning. You wouldn’t want your fresh produce trucks being stuck at the causeway in the middle of the day? CNA PLEASE BE MORE FACTUAL IN YOUR “EXPOSE”

[ahchoon]

just leave them alone they are those who can supply you when the world lock down.

[muhd]

Always two sides to an equation: buyers and sellers. If irresponsible buying doesn't stop, smuggling will continue.

[kiangee]

Biased programme targeting only exporters in Malaysia.
What about vegetables shipped from Australia & China? How are those checked for safety since they are not transported in lorries from JB?

[saikiajoydeep]

#MyLineageMySoul Most non-biased or non-exaggerated medium of Journalism 🇸🇬 💞

[brandonsim]

i think we consumer should be less prior the beautiful of the vege but prior the healthy level of vege which does no harm to us

[wong]

Smugglers: Let's smuggler some "carrots" into the city.


The Reporter: Hold my limau Panas "kurang manis" 6:25.

[richymt]

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Even tho ure a vegetarian
You arent safe too😌

[estrellaasikainen]

The Safety is YOU Should Always WASH Your Vegetables , Before You YUO Cook or you EAT. ..3 TO 5 MIN TO RENS OR SOAK IN COLD WATER JUST MAKE, SURE ALL THE, BUGS IS GONE OR DISSAPERD. .HEHE. .✌👀

[weisbars]

You can't call a veg organic just because you don't spray the plant directly. The soil must be free of pesticide as well.

[bixbe_sglearn]

Ugly veggies or fruit does not mean it's not tasty or healthy. Ignorant consumers.

[SuccessforLifester]

I was hoping they would comment on those commercial vegetables cleaning products

[zandrakoon]

Singapore should work towards self-reliance by investing in bio diverse & green agriculture practices. In this way, we reduce food wastage, human & capital loss. Grow our own food in 2 of the 63 islands in the country ! Do the same for fish, eggs & livestock !

For Organic produce that are safe, we can sell "ugly fruits & vegetables" at discounted price to commercial food caterers ! You can't tell the difference once they're cooked 😊

[meilih]

the fruits without pesticide has lots of worms. unless if they will wrap it one by one which is difficult and too much hardwork. Our local organic is cheaper in wet market but it looks so bad with worms all over. You also cannot be sure if it is real organic because they can't possibly keep on inspecting. i have mangoes and papaya trees, they are organic, some good some bad. I planted tomatoes and squash but insects ate all of it. The tomatoes looks perfect but, if you peel off there is tiny white worms under the skin, it's super tiny. Fungus also destroys the plants. It's same anyway, the local and imported have pesticide so i'd still get the imported since the price is too high if local and quality is very bad. Less nutrition, tiny size, bad taste, but super pricy. Our gov doesn't even check properly with local.

[arrowstheorem]

How is Customs able to allow smuggling at such a large lorry amounts?

[yplim]

The Hard Truth is that there are no self-inspection & control authority (certification on quality of vegetables by exporting countries ) to Singapore. Only when exporting countries improve the food safety standards. Then this problem of too much pesticides can be resolved in relation to pricing. Up to date dynamic data analytics (AI) on vegetables need to be planned & implementation ( in Johor ) before shipment of vegetables. Hence little rejects, Toyota style of QA ( i.e. banana skins concepts).