Local supermarket chain Sheng Siong has removed House Brand basmati rice products from all of its outlets after a customer found a dead rat in a new rice pack he bought at the Sheng Siong supermarket at Block 739A Bedok Reservoir Road, last Saturday (2 Mar).
The customer, Venesh, reported on citizen journalism portal Stomp that he was shocked to find the rodent inside the new pack of rice.
The pictures of the dead rat in the rice pack Venesh bought suggest that the rat may have died recently, given the blood stains on its carcass and on parts of the rice inside the packaging.
Venesh, who said that his “whole house was full of the dead rat smell,” quickly informed the Sheng Siong outlet and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) about the incident. He said:
“A manager at Sheng Siong informed me that they will remove their stock from the store. I hope they will remove them from other stores too.”
In a press statement, Sheng Siong confirmed that House Brand’s basmati rice products have since been removed from all its outlets:
“Our Bedok Reservoir Road 739A store was informed by the customer last Saturday (Mar 2) afternoon of the incident. All our stores have immediately removed the basmati rice products from the brand ‘House Brand’ upon notification and the supplier was also informed of the matter.
“We have conducted a refund for the customer and will work closely with AVA. The supplier is currently investigating the matter.”