SINGAPORE - Catering firm Sakura Buffet has had its licence cancelled from May 10 after several reports of food safety concerns were lodged against it, including over mouldy food as well as food that contained hair and insects.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said in a statement on May 11 that the complaints started coming in from late March, and involved home-delivery catered meals supplied by five web-based businesses.
Investigations found that all the catered meals had been supplied by Sakura Buffet, with another seven web-based businesses also being linked to it.
The web-based businesses are: Yu Mummy Confinement Meals, Home Tingkat Catering, Happy Mamapapa Catering, Vegetarian Buffet, Angel Confinement Meals, After Surgery Food Delivery/Catering, Healthy Meals Catering, Keto Meals Catering, Grain Luscious, Royal Cuisine Group/The Garden Kitchen, Nonya Buffet and Pregnancy Meals Catering.
Between March and May 2024, SFA conducted inspections at the Sakura Buffet premises in Geylang Bahru, where officers found several food safety lapses.
These included failing to keep the premises clean, as well as falsely labelling the time stamps of packed food.
SFA had taken action against Sakura Buffet four times previously - between November 2023 and April 2024 - for a host of food safety lapses, the statement said.
However, the firm was "recalcitrant and failed to improve", and SFA cancelled Sakura Buffet's licence to protect consumers from further food safety violations, it added.
SFA urged consumers to avoid getting food from any of the 12 businesses linked to the catering firm, and added that affected customers can either pursue the matter directly with the firms or file a complaint with the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) or Small Claims Tribunals.
In a separate statement on May 11, Case president Melvin Yong said that between May 8 and May 10, the consumer watchdog received 22 complaints linked to Sakura Buffet and the businesses it supplies food to.
The complaints said the businesses had failed to deliver meals and did not provide information about when they would honour contractual obligations.
Mr Yong said: "Case is of the view that consumers should be entitled to a full refund of the unutilised balance of their contracted orders.
"The onus is on the company to comply with food safety and licensing requirements."
Those who need help with their disputes can contact Case through its hotline on 6277-5100, or via its website at www.case.org.sg
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
