SINGAPORE: A woman took to social media after biting into an insect. She says she found it in a drink bought from Mr Bean. She posted photos of the insect, which appeared to be a cockroach.
“On the way to work, colleague of mine decided to order in Mr Bean from Queenstown MRT. Started drinking happily since 12pm,” wrote Ms Pamster Tan on the COMPLAINT SINGAPORE Facebook group in a post published late Monday afternoon (Mar 18).
“Later part of the day, was continuing to drink, I sucked in something that’s not a pearl and with a crunch. I spit the item out. To my horror a huge cockroach!! Now I am feeling sick of the thought what bacteria I have been intaking since 12pm!!!” she added.
At the end of her post, Ms Tan also appealed to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to investigate the matter.
The Independent Singapore has contacted Ms Tan, the SFA, and Mr Bean for further updates or comments.
Meanwhile, Mr Bean replied to Ms Tan’s post with an apology in the following comment.
“Dear Pamster, we apologise for the unhappy incident at our Queenstore MRT store during your recent visit. Your feedback will allow us to conduct our internal investigations. We hope that you can assist us in this matter by sending us a PM with any contact information of your preference.”
The store further said it would investigate the matter and hoped to speak to Ms Tan personally about the situation.
Mr Bean apologised again, writing, “We are sorry for this unhappy experience, and we look forward to your reply. Thank you.”
COMPLAINT SINGAPORE said in a related post that the incident has been reported to the SFA “for investigation and action,” which Ms Tan also mentioned in one of the comments to her post.
Commenters on the post were alarmed by the incident, and some urged her to get checked by a medical professional.
“If possible also keep a sample of the drink and submit it as ‘evidence’. If not next time when you want to claim anything, they can deny until the cows come home,” a netizen added.
However, this is by no means the first time that people in Singapore have found foreign objects in their food items, and it most likely won’t be the last.
Earlier this month, a man also posted on the COMPLAINT SINGAPORE Facebook page after finding a piece of plastic inside a pork sausage. Ironically, the word “halal” was written on the plastic piece.
Items such as screws, staple wires, glass, and other objects have also been found in food products in the past. /TISG
Read also: ‘So big caterpillar’ in mee hoon kuay, diner horrified
UPDATE: March 20, 2024
The Singapore Food Agency has told us it is looking into the matter, though food operators should ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained.
“SFA takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices.
As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained,” it added.
TISG has also heard from Mr Bean Singapore, who told us they have reached out to Ms Tan “to ensure that she is feeling fine and is awaiting to discuss how we can help with her recovery process.”
The company has also implemented manual checks in store to ensure no cockroach infestation and activated pest control to check on the premises as a precautionary measure.
“Report is concluded and no sightings of cockroaches,” Mr Bean Singapore said, adding that it will have its Quality Assurance team conduct another audit on the premises.