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A customer at Yishun Ring Road's McDonald's outlet recently found his Double Quarter Pounder patty to be pink and undercooked.

Speaking to Mothership, Bryan Lee shared that he got diarrhoea three times after the meal, and was "confident" it was due to the burger.

Two days after this incident, another customer came forward to share that a Quarter Pounder patty he ordered from the Yishun SAFRA McDonald's outlet in March was undercooked.

SFA's response

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) shared that they are investigating the first incident.

"Food safety is a joint responsibility," SFA said.

SFA added that while it implements and enforces regulatory measures, food operators should play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices.

In addition, they should ensure that food sold are safe for consumption.

Members of the public who come across any potentially errant food operator should report to SFA via the online feedback form.

As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details.

SFA stated it will not hesitate to take enforcement action against errant food handlers if they have obtained sufficient evidence.

Error in settings of grill

McDonald's apologised for the customers' experience in a statement to Mothership.

"At McDonald’s, we’re committed to the highest food safety standards, and the well-being of our customers is very important to us," they said.

Upon being alerted about the two separate incidents in March and June, McDonald's immediately reached out to both customers to address their concerns.

Their investigation revealed that both incidents were the result of an error in the settings of the grill.

The fast food chain added:

"While these are isolated incidents, we have taken precautions by conducting a calibration exercise for all restaurants.

We have also reinforced the need for all restaurant teams to adhere to the operational and cooking procedures in place, to ensure that high food safety standards continue to be upheld."

Unsafe to eat

While steaks with a doneness of medium or medium-rare can be eaten, it is unadvisable to eat raw or undercooked beef, particularly ground beef, which burger patties are made from.

According to SFA's FAQ, bacteria resides on the surface of cut meat and is unable to penetrate meat that is intact.

This makes undercooked steaks safe to eat, as these meat cuts have been cooked on the surface to kill any remaining bacteria.

However, for minced meat, potentially dangerous bacteria like E. coli can be mixed thoroughly and brought deep below the surface of the meat.

A professor of food science at North Carolina State University, Lee-Ann Jaykus, also told Time Magazine that packaged ground beef is more likely to contain sickness-causing bacteria or parasites as a single package can contain meat from many different cows.

Aside from minced meat, other non-intact meat products like sausages and meat pies must be cooked thoroughly all the way through.

Top photo courtesy of Bryan Lee and Shahrul/TikTok