Trio repacking masks with bare hands an undeclared side business: NTUC Foodfare

[UPDATE: April 8]

NTUC Foodfare said in a statement on Tuesday night (April 7) that an employee, together with a few of his friends, had imported the face masks in bulk for resale. This sideline was not declared to the company. 

He had used the truck that he was driving in the course of his duty to transport the face masks without the company's knowledge.

His actions breached the company's code of conduct and "caused public alarm", NTUC Foodfare said, adding that the management has taken "stern disciplinary action" against him.

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Face masks may be a hot commodity right now, with some buyers turning to websites, online marketplaces and even car boots for their fix. But do you know where your masks are really coming from — or where they've been? 

NTUC Foodfare said on April 6 that it is investigating after three people were caught on camera repacking face masks with their bare hands behind one of the company's trucks.

The now-viral videos were shared on Facebook by Dee Umairah, who said she witnessed the incident on Saturday (April 4) at Woodlands Avenue 6.

In the clips, two men and a woman were shown transferring face masks out of a large cardboard box into smaller white boxes with their bare hands. The cardboard boxes, as well as several of the white boxes, were placed on the ground behind an NTUC Foodfare truck.

While some masks were placed into the white boxes with their plastic coverings intact, one of the men was seen ripping open some of the coverings and handling the masks directly.

The cargo area of the truck was open, showing three more sealed boxes similar to the one that they were unpacking.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/cinta.umairah.98/posts/2302541633379612[/embed]

The post, which has been shared over 4,000 times, had netizens crying foul and questioning the trio's utter lack of hygiene standards.

According to the World Health Organisation, touching face masks with our hands should be avoided as it can lead to contamination.

In a Facebook post on April 6, NTUC Foodfare said it is currently investigating the incident and added that it will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against any errant employee, including making a police report if needed.

NTUC Foodfare also clarified that the masks in question did not belong to the company and were not meant for any staff or customers.

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kimberlylim@asiaone.com