SINGAPORE: A man took to social media after receiving a package of goods and was disappointed that a number of the food items were “past their expiration date.”
Mr Adika Pratama posted on the COMPLAINT SINGAPORE Facebook page on Sunday (March 17) about having received a package that included coconut water, tea, chicken curry masala, coconut milk, and cans of butter beans. He posted a video that showed that the items were past their best before and expiration dates.
The container of coconut water says it expired on Jan 18, 2024; the tea was stamped March 13, 2024, and the chicken curry masala was stamped Feb 20, 2024. In another picture that Mr Adika included, the can of butter beans was stamped Jan 31, 2024.
However, he refrained from identifying the organization that donated the goods or showing the faces of the people who brought the package to his home.
Additionally, while he expressed gratitude for the “kind gesture, particularly during the holy month of Ramadhan,” he added that “it’s important to ensure that distributed goods are safe for consumption.
Expired food can pose health risks, and it’s especially concerning during this time of increased need.”
Mr Adika requested that “organisations look into this matter and implement stricter measures to prevent the distribution of expired goods in the future.”
He wrote that many older people live in the block where he resides, and he hopes his neighbours who received the expired items were aware.
The Independent Singapore has contacted Mr Adika for further updates or comments.
While some commenters expressed shock over the donated goods, others urged him to inform the donor organization to tell them of his concerns.
Others, however, told Mr Adika that food past their “best before” dates can still be eaten.
Singapore’s Sale of Food Act states that pre-packed food must carry dates showing “use by,” “best before,” “expiry date,” or “sell by”, which show the items’ expiration dates.
An expiry date means that food may not “retain its normal wholesomeness, nature, substance and quality” past the indicated date, provided that the item is kept in instructed storage conditions.
While consuming these foods is, in all likelihood, still safe, the Singapore Food Agency says that selling them is illegal, which is probably why some food items are donated rather than thrown away.
Some organizations, however, do not accept food past its expiry date and recommend that donated food items are still within one or two months before the indicated expiry date. /TISG
Read also: NTUC FairPrice apologises as complaint about mouldy “fresh” eggs goes viral