Singapore: Severe oyster shortage due to tainted China shipments

Shucks, no oysters in my omelette?
Severe shortage due to tainted China shipments rejected by AVA
Tara Tan & Jamie Ee Wen Wei, Straits Times 13 Jan 08;

SOME hawker centres are taking oyster delicacies off the menu because a tough crackdown by hygiene watchdogs is severely curbing supplies from China.

About 80 per cent of all oyster imports were rejected last year, leaving eateries with desperate shortages.

Hawkers at Newton, Bedok and Old Airport Road centres said supplies would last for at most a week or two. Most hawkers The Sunday Times spoke to said they had been relying on frozen stock that they had stockpiled.

Mr Patrick Tan, 22, stopped serving oyster omelette at his Marine Parade stall yesterday after his supply ran out.

He used to sell about 40 plates of oyster omelette a day - that meant earnings of about $150 - but now he sticks to his other dishes.

Some hawkers are even looking at alternatives for their recipes.

Mr Jeffrey Lim, 50, who serves oyster omelette at Bedok, said: 'I am asking customers if they don't mind having prawns instead.'

Shih Lin Taiwan Street Snack, famous for its handmade oyster mee sua, has switched to scallop and more shredded chicken.

The oysters - about 139.5 tonnes - were rejected by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) last year because of noroviruses, which cause food poisoning.

Noroviruses are found in either food contaminated with faeces from an infected person or in polluted waters.

Importer Lee Tak Seng of TS Frozen Foods said his business has dipped at least 20 per cent because of the crackdown.

The AVA has suggested that importers look at other sources such as Australia and New Zealand.

But importers say these markets are pricier than China and the meat would be too expensive for local hawkers.

Mr Lee described this as the worst period he has seen in his 10 years in the trade.

In the past months, he has had to dump 10,000kg of oysters and has tried to send back another shipment of 20,000kg to his suppliers in China.

'It's been crazy, I have to pay duties both ways when I try to send back stuff - one consignment costs me at least $70,000,' he said.

Some hawkers, including Mr Tan Ah Piang, 65, went to the AVA on Wednesday to ask for leniency. But the AVA said food safety is its primary concern and it cannot approve products that are unsafe.

But it did assure the hawkers that it will speed up checks to allow them to get their oysters earlier.

AVA spokesman Goh Shih Yong also told importers: 'They should look at other sources for supply if the consignments that come from the same country always fail to pass the test.'

The high incidence of infection last year is in stark contrast with 2006, when only 6 per cent of frozen oyster imports failed AVA tests.

Mr Goh added: 'Yes, there is a definite shortage. But we consider food safety of paramount importance.

'Oysters are considered high-risk foods. So we test each and every batch coming in.'