‘Where is the food safety?’: Customer claims suspected cockroach was found in takeaway soy milk

SINGAPORE: Another customer complaint about food safety occurred when a small cockroach was suspected of being found in a takeout soy milk. The incident happened in Tampines Mall, when the customer returned to the restaurant to argue their case.

As reported by Shin Min Daily News, case details revealed that the customer brought three cups of soy milk for $7.20 at the restaurant and went to a nearby traditional Chinese medicine clinic with her parents. She admitted that her parents finished the soy milk first, and when she was almost done with hers, she found an insect that looked like a small cockroach at the bottom of her cup. 

Afterwards, she claimed that the three of them felt nauseous and vomited after seeing the insect. They later returned to the restaurant that evening and reported the case to the cashier. She admitted that the cashier apologised and offered a refund and a replacement soy milk, but she refused and questioned why they still offered the same soy milk. 

“We discard food immediately if we find it contaminated at home. Why would restaurant staff think it’s okay to continue selling such products? Where is the food safety?” the customer declared. 

Furthermore, the customer refused any form of monetary compensation from the restaurant and demanded a public apology. 

In response to the issue, a spokesperson from the restaurant confirmed that they have received the complaint. The restaurant admitted that it has been three hours since the beverage was taken from the restaurant and the time that the customer returned to file the complaint. 

“During this period, the beverage was no longer under the restaurant’s custody and control, and Ms Zheng also visited a traditional Chinese medicine clinic during this time. Therefore, we cannot determine when and where the insect entered the cup, and there is currently no evidence to confirm that the insect came from the restaurant,” the spokesperson admitted. 

More so, the restaurant apologised to the customer and offered a full refund and compensation, and expressed willingness to arrange a meeting between the employee involved and the restaurant’s directors to apologise to her in person, but she rejected all these solutions.

In similar news, there was a report where a customer found several cockroaches on a pumpkin while shopping in the refrigerated section of the store. 

The customer was clearly disgusted and shared with the media that she felt nauseous and worried after what happened.

Read more about the news story here.