Singapore’s food and wine importer Ferrari Food + Wine has been fined by authorities for multiple offences including selling illegally imported meat, tampering with product dates, and illegally processing raw meat.
Founded in 2001, Ferrari Food + Wine established a niche in Italian wine and gourmet food and has emerged as “a significant player in the F&B industry in Singapore,” according to its website.
It exclusively distributes brands including Trentino’s sparkling wine Ferrari and Montalcino’s Caparzo to name a few. It also operates in Thailand under the same name.
Last Wednesday, however, it got called out in a statement released by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) that the importer has flaunted several rules that went back to 2020.
In April 2020, SFA found 175kg of Italian meat without a valid import permit and during the same year in December it was again found to have processed 212 kg of raw meat, seafood without a processing permit.
Furthermore, it also had illegally stored 1157kg of pet food on the premise that was only meant for human food storage.
The importer was handed a S$30,000 fine (US$22,622).
Ferrari Food + Wine was directed to stop processing meat and processed food products and all illegal food products had been seized by SFA.
In Singapore, food can only be imported by licensed importers, and every consignment must be declared and accompanied with a valid import permit. Offenders who illegally import meat or fish products shall be liable on conviction to a maximum fine of S$50,000 and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.
