Man finds cockroach in steamed bun at hawker stall he visits twice a month; owner says checks found nothing unusual

SINGAPORE: A 60-year-old man was left disgusted after finding a small cockroach inside a steamed bun he bought from a coffee and bread stall at a Singapore hawker centre. He said he had already taken two bites before noticing the insect.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the man said he visits the stall about twice a month and was upset that the food he bought could have been contaminated.

The man did not want a refund, given that the amount that he paid was relatively small. However, he wanted the stall to improve its hygiene practices to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Furthermore, he tried to report the incident on the Food Bureau’s website, but failed due to the unfamiliarity of the reporting process.

Everything was handled accordingly 

When a reporter visited the stall, the staff on duty claimed that they had learned about the incident. They reviewed their CCTV footage and discovered that everything was handled according to their procedure. Moreover, they noted that the countertop where the bread was placed during the process was quite hot, so it was unlikely that cockroaches would be present. 

The stall was also willing to refund the money to the man at that time, but he was angry and kept taking videos with his phone. After what happened, the stall owner rushed to the stall to check the place, including the refrigerator and the food storage area, but apparently, they found nothing unusual. 

The owner also claimed that he had no recollection of the customer and did not rule out the possibility of malicious competition. However, no evidence was provided to support this claim. 

In a separate food-related incident, customers questioned why dry noodles cost 20 cents more than soup noodles at a Singapore stall.

One customer said the surcharge was unusual, remarking, “I rarely see dry noodles costing extra.”

Read more about the news story here.