No rat, fox, mink flesh in bak kwa sold in S’pore: AVA

SINGAPORE – Debunking rumours claiming that most bak kwa sold in Singapore is from China and may contain rat, fox and mink flesh, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said that less than 5 per cent of the barbecued meat sold here comes from China.

The majority of the barbecued meat here is produced locally from raw pork sourced from countries such as Australia, Brazil and Spain, the authorities said yesterday (Feb 1).

China-sourced meat comes from two establishments which has AVA approval to export semi-processed frozen sliced pork that have been heat-treated previously.

The AVA said all imported meat products, including those from China, have passed its regular authenticity tests.

Overseas establishments must comply with the AVA’s veterinary public health and food safety standards before they can export these products to Singapore, the AVA said.

Furthermore, all imported meat consignments must be accompanied by health certificates endorsed by the relevant competent authority at the source overseas.

No Malaysian establishments have the AVA’s approval to export barbecued pork to Singapore, the AVA added.