‘That cockroach crawled out’: Woman finds live insect in mixed vegetable rice bought at Tampines

SINGAPORE: A female customer ordered a mixed vegetable rice dish to take home, but was utterly disappointed when she saw a live cockroach scurrying out of her meal as she was halfway through eating it. As reported by Shin Min Daily News, the woman bought her meal at a rice stall at Tampines Bus Interchange on Nov 4 this year, at around 5:30 p.m.

She admitted that this incident surprised her and that the insect crawled out from the meat side of the meal, which she found very disgusting. As evidence, she immediately took a picture before throwing away the meal. 

She returned to the stall the next day and showed the staff photos of the cockroach. However, she was met with a rude attitude, wherein the staff neither refunded her nor apologised for the inconvenience.  

“I felt like they were all pretending not to understand and ignoring me. Later, a female employee asked me to get another serving, but I didn't dare to eat it anymore. She didn't say anything more, and then I left,” the woman claimed. 

To warn others, she shared her experience on social media, hoping to remind everyone to be careful when eating mixed vegetables. She also checked other people’s reviews of the food stall, and later found out that another customer left a comment a year earlier about a similar cockroach experience. 

In response to this case, the stall owner stated that the live cockroach may have crawled in after the packaging of the food was complete. The owner shared that since the customer came back the following day and her order was a takeout meal, it was difficult to identify where the insect came from. 

“Since the customer was taking the food home, the live cockroaches could have crawled in on the way or from other places,” the owner declared. 

The Singapore Food Agency admitted that it is currently investigating the case, and that the authorities will not hesitate in taking enforcement action if needed. The authorities further claimed that food safety is a shared responsibility, and that businesses should comply with standard food hygiene and handling practices. 

In other related news, there was a report that rats have been spotted foraging for food at a coffee shop in Pasir Ris, sparking food hygiene concerns among the members of the public. 

According to customers, they saw two rats climbing into a basket full of kueh rice cake, emerging from under an adjacent cabinet near the basket. 

Read more about the news story here.