SINGAPORE: NTUC FairPrice apologised after a customer complained online that a carton of eggs she bought was mouldy and asked why the supermarket did not conduct quality checks.
The customer, Facebook user Yves Bong, took to the Complaint Singapore page on Tuesday (21 Nov) and posted photos of the mouldy eggs. Revealing that the carton of eggs is only set to expire on 10 Dec, she questioned: “Didn’t NTUC FairPrice now does quality checks now? How can there be mold on fresh eggs now? Just purchased it just now!”
The photos Yves posted show white mould covering some of the eggs in one row. Yves told the press she bought the eggs after work at the NTUC FairPrice outlet at the Toa Payoh HDB centre.
She said, “I took the eggs home and put them aside. When I was about to take them out and put them in the refrigerator, I found that they were moldy. Because the box was transparent, I checked to see if the eggs were broken when I bought them.” She said she couldn’t tell that the eggs were mouldy through the box but checked the expiry date before making her purchase.
The post quickly went viral, accumulating over 120 comments in just 14 hours. Some commenters said that the eggs may not have been cleaned properly, causing bacteria to grow on the shell, while others said that eggs taken out of the refrigerator can easily become mouldy at room temperature. Many urged Yves to refrain from consuming the eggs and advised her to return the carton immediately.
Yves contacted NTUC FairPrice that same day, and the chain took responsibility for the issue. Apologising, NTUC FairPrice asked Yves to bring the product and her receipt back to the store for a refund or replacement. It added that it had notified its store team to check the existing inventory of the eggs.
A spokesman for NTUC FairPrice told the press that the chain prioritizes food quality and safety. Acknowledging that this was an unpleasant experience, the spokesman apologised for the inconvenience caused by the issue and urged customers to return or exchange substandard products at the same supermarket with receipts.