Singapore – An unsuspecting customer enjoying his noodles during lunch discovered a cockroach in his food, making him scream and sick to the stomach.
According to a stomp.straitstimes.com report, a certain Mr Tan had ordered a bowl of noodles from Taste Beyond Taste Ban Mian & Fish Soup, a food stall at Block 156 Yishun Street 11, for lunch. The order was delivered by FoodPanda.
He had gotten three bowls of noodles to be shared among himself and two friends. However, Mr Tan noted he was hungry, so he ate ahead.
He was about five to seven mouthfuls into his meal when his spoon scooped up a cockroach with his noodles and soup. One of the legs of the insect was detached.
“My mind turned blank. I screamed and rushed to the toilet to vomit out my food,” said Mr Tan in the report. “I felt extremely uncomfortable afterwards and hid in my room the whole day without lunch and dinner. I also felt unwell and traumatised.”
The shocked customer reported the incident to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on the same day. He also received a full refund from FoodPanda.
Mr Tan highlighted he couldn’t point all the blame to the vendor. “I don’t want to push 100 per cent blame to the restaurant as the insect went into the soup without their acknowledgement.”
“I just want to remind everyone during this pandemic to kindly pay extra care to the contents of their food before eating.”
In response to media queries, SFA confirmed that an inspection on the food stall was conducted after receipt of feedback. “We did not detect any infringements of our food safety and hygiene requirements during the inspection.”
“Food safety is a joint responsibility,” said SFA. “While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices.”
Members of the public can report to SFA regarding any potentially errant food operator through its online feedback form. “As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details.”
The SFA added it would not hesitate to put errant food operators to task if sufficient evidence is provided.
Food operators adhere to a Points Demerit System initiated by SFA. Any violation such as failure to keep licensed premises clean or engaging with unregistered food handlers leads to a penalty composed of a fine, suspension of license, or both. “Based on track records, a licensee who accumulated 12 or more demerit points during a 12-month period may have his license suspended for a period of either two or four weeks, or cancelled,” noted SFA.
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