March 16, 2021, 02:58 PM
A video showing a bespectacled woman squatting in front of a stall selling vegetables, with a bottle of insecticide in her hand, was widely circulated online in the past two days.
The woman was seen turning the vegetables over and spraying insecticide into the display shelves at the stall.
Those who saw the video were appalled by the act and expressed concern over food safety.A few commenters on the video identified the stall as the one located at Bangkit Road in Bukit Panjang and said that the stall has been messy.
A video shared in the comment section showed small cockroaches crawling on the cloves of garlic sold at the stall.
Pests problem
According to the Chinese evening newspaper Lianhe Wanbao, the woman who was caught on camera spraying insecticide said that she did not spray it directly at the vegetables.
She added that she has stopped spraying insecticide on the vegetables now.
The woman told Wanbao that she was having a "headache" over the number of cockroaches in the stall and was at a loss to eradicate them.
She added that it's been mentally and physically draining to manage the vegetable stall.
The Chinese reporter also observed a foul smell from the vegetables at the stall, besides small cockroaches, ants, and flies.
Vegetable stall has been around for 10 years
Wanbao reported that the stall has been operating for the past 10 years by an elderly couple.
Speaking to an employee of a nearby retail shop, Wanbao understands that residents and those who work here have know the couple.
They said there is a hygiene issue at the stall.
They also said they find the couple pitiful, and so they have not reported them to the authorities.
While people in the neighbourhood will occasionally buy vegetables from them, with the intent to help the couple who rely on the stall for income, they might not consume the vegetables after purchasing them, another retail shop employee told Wanbao.
Singapore Food Agency investigating the matter
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said that they are aware of the incident and investigations are ongoing.
In response to Mothership's query, SFA said:
"Baygon is an insecticide meant for vector control and should not be used on food. SFA is looking into the matter."
Top image via screenshots of All Singapore Stuff's video post
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