SINGAPORE: The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) advises buyers to check the weight of prepackaged foods themselves if in doubt about what is on the label.
Responding to CNA’s inquiries, the consumer advocacy group said on Thursday (February 10) that it had not received any complaints about NTUC FairPrice or any other supermarket food being “misbranded”.
Recently, some social media videos appeared to show discrepancies between the actual weight of food items sold at NTUC FairPrice outlets, such as chicken and salmon, and the weight indicated on the label, which was higher.
The supermarket chain apologised for the incidents, adding that it would investigate what it called “mislabelling”.
FairPrice said its scales were “independently calibrated by authorised suppliers recognised by the authority”, with annual inspections and twice-yearly maintenance.
In addition, it said it had introduced additional protocols requiring all of its stores to conduct daily inspections of scales before opening.
“Fresh produce that has already been labelled will also be rechecked for weight to ensure labelling accuracy,” FairPrice said.
CASE chairman Melvin Yong, who is also MP for Radin Mas, pointed out that FairPrice has clarified that the incident may have been caused by human error.
He said CASE welcomed FairPrice’s assurances that steps had been taken to ensure the accuracy of the scales and that additional steps had been taken “to minimise the recurrence of such incidents”.
Mr Yong also advises consumers to pay attention to a few things when buying or weighing prepackaged products.
“If you’re in doubt about what’s on the label, check the weight of the product on a weighing scale,” he said, adding that consumers should confirm that the weighing instrument reads “zero” before weighing.
He added that they should alert staff if weights or prices are displayed unclear or inaccurate.
He also advises consumers to check the weighing instrument’s accuracy label to indicate that it has been verified for accuracy.
Mr Yong also called on consumers to check receipts to make sure they correctly reflect the price of items purchased.
