A woman was shocked to find undercooked pork in a sandwich that she and her husband bought at the Toast Box outlet located at The Rail Mall.

Sally Tan, 45, told Mothership that she made this discovery on Jul. 10 at around 3pm, just before her husband could take a bite out of the sandwich.

It was their first time patronising that particular outlet.

'The centre was pink and raw'

Tan explained that after sending their dog for a grooming session nearby, she and her husband decided to kill some time at the cafe.

They ordered two sets to share, a kaya toast set, and a pork chop sandwich set.

After collecting their food, the pair divided the sandwich into two and her husband was ready to bite into his half, when Tan noticed something was wrong with the pork chop.

"Because it was cut into two, I saw the center was pink and raw," Tan said.

Immediately, she stopped him from eating.

She said they both felt "sick" at that point.

Managed to get a refund, but no apology given

Her husband then brought the sandwich back to the counter and raised the issue to the staff there.

Tan claimed that no apology was given for the undercooked pork, and that the counter staff was unsure of how to handle the situation.

They escalated the issue to a senior staff manning the cash register, who offered to make a replacement sandwich for them.

However, Tan's husband declined as he had no more appetite for the food.

After a brief exchange, Tan and her husband managed to get a refund for the pork chop sandwich set.

They left without finishing the rest of their food.

Tan said her husband felt "sick" the whole evening after almost eating the sandwich.

Later that day, she also submitted her feedback via the Toast Box website, but has yet to receive a reply.

Food safety concerns

Tan said she was worried that such incidents could reoccur.

"A lot of elderly folks gather for coffee at Toast Box, our parents included. This could make them really sick," she shared.

She added that she would not return to that outlet again, and that it was "unlikely" for her to visit other Toast Box outlets in the future.

She also pointed out that food outlets owe their customers a duty of care, and that their staff need to undergo fundamental training in food safety.

Toast Box response

In response to Mothership's queries, Toast Box apologised for the incident and took full responsibility for the oversight.

A spokesperson from the chain stated that a thorough investigation has been carried out at the outlet by their quality assurance team.

"We have determined that while our staff followed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to prepare the dish, the staff overlooked to check if the pork chop was fully-cooked before it was served to the customer," the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson also affirmed that food safety is of utmost importance for the chain.

Toast Box will be strengthening their staff training programs to emphasise food safety precautions, and will look into additional measures to ensure strict adherence to food safety protocols, the spokesperson added.

Top image from Sally Tan / Google Street View.