On 6 Apr, Facebook user Dee Umairah uploaded a Facebook post.
She was at Woodlands Avenue 6 when she spotted three individuals repacking masks outside an open Foodfare truck.
The individuals were taking masks out of a big box and repacking them into smaller boxes on the grass patch.
And if you were to look carefully, the back of the opened truck shows that there are a few more boxes within the vehicle.
A vehicle that carries a brand iconic to Singaporeans.
Here’s what she said in her Facebook post:
Am not here to shame them am just sharing look at where they repack the face mask is that the correct protocol to handle a mask was shock to see them doing these.. They are not local tho.. Its happen on Saturday located at Woodland ave 6 what happen to the mask that they repack obviously the mask have already contaminated liow ????? till now no reply from NTUC either please explain!!!
Initially, she said that NTUC did not respond to her.
But in a subsequent update to her post, she said that Foodfare is now investigating the situation.
Foodfare Has Responded
NTUC Foodfare says that they’ve conducted an investigation into the matter and acknowledge that one of the men caught on camera was one of their staff.
They confirmed that the man has done it without Foodfare’s knowledge.
The man had tried to make a quick buck by ordering face masks from overseas in bulk, then packing it into smaller boxes for redistributions.
The truck was also the same vehicle that he uses for his work with NTUC Foodfare and he used it without permission from the company.
NTUC Foodfare assures that the face masks were not used for their staff, nor were they given to their customers.
It was added that “stern disciplinary actions” have been taken against the staff in question.
Here’s Their Statement in Full:
There is a Facebook post on face masks being repacked in the open behind a Foodfare truck circulating on social media yesterday.
NTUC Foodfare has investigated and identified the person in the Foodfare uniform as a staff under our employment. The investigation has revealed that :-
– The staff, together with a few friends, had imported face masks in bulk for resale to individual buyers at a profit. He did not declare this sideline nor sought approval. Non-disclosure of such activities infringe company’s policies
– The staff had also used the truck when he was driving (in the course of his duty) to transport the face mask stocks without the company’s knowledge. He was repacking it with his partners into smaller packs for redistribution, and was recorded in the video and photos.
The Foodfare management takes a very serious view with regard to the staff disregarding company’s policies, which he is fully aware of. His actions had breached the company’s code of conduct and had caused public alarm during this health crisis as well as cast doubt to the integrity of our standards and operations. The staff has acknowledged his misconduct and the management has taken stern disciplinary action against him.
We would like to assure members of the public that the face masks shown in the video and photos did not belong to NTUC Foodfare and neither were they meant for our staff nor customers.
Guess they haven’t gotten the memo about living in Singapore yet: Even the walls have eyes.
Meanwhile, do try not to buy any surgical masks from dubious sources because, well, they might all have been packed this way.
You can do your part as a responsible citizen through helping out in contact tracing by downloading the TraceTogether app.
In the meantime, keep yourself updated by bookmarking MOH’s website here and registering for the Gov.sg’s WhatsApp service here.
