NTUC Fairprice warns whistle-blower of rats infestations with punitive actions, NEA swings into action

On 1 June, we reported that Facebook user 孙雨明 shared that he spotted rats in the bread section of the NTUC FairPrice Supermarket at Kang Kar Mall. The Facebook user said that he duly informed the supermarket’s supervisor, Jin Kai, about the rodent infestation., but the supervisor did not pay much heed to the feedback and even replied, “there’s rats and you want me to catch?”.
NTUC Fairprice responded the following day to the allegations of rats infestations and identified the Facebook user as Sun Yu Ming, a delivery person for bread at their Kang Kar outlet. In the Facebook note Fairprice alleged that they knew Mr Sun as he had been reported to have short-changed the store by delivering less that what the store had ordered in the past.
The supermarket further said that it was puzzled why Mr Sun would feel that they were not taking the necessary action and preventive measures to address the infestation and warned that it would take “necessary actions” to protect its reputation if Mr Sun did not stop making “inflammatory remarks”.
Mr Sun has since removed his Facebook post, but his viral video however is viewable in various other social media platforms including Youtube.
[fvplayer src=”http://youtube.com/watch?v=tl7_eM7OrlY”]
Responding to media queries, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said that it conducted inspections in Kang Kar Mall after the video Mr Sun took went viral, and that it will be taking enforcement against them. NEA had received five complaints of rats scurrying in the mall since the start of the year.
NEA further advised Kang Kar Mall management, NTUC Fair Price, and the Kopitiam which operates in the mall to practise proper food storage and refuse management. The Government agency is also is requiring FairPrice and the mall management to step up their rat control measures.
TODAY newspaper reported that besides NTUC Fairprice, the Kopitiam in the mall is also affected by rats infestations. The report said:
“A tenant at Kopitiam Food Court in Kang Kar Mall told TODAY that rats have nibbled on food products at her stall. The tenant, who did not want to be named, also said that the air-conditioning in the food court has also been affected by the rat activity.
When TODAY visited Kang Kar Mall yesterday, pest controllers from Rentokil were spotted looking for burrows, as well as at the area around the mall and near Hougang MRT Station. They were also seen putting chemicals into the burrows found.”