One unfortunate customer had a nasty surprise after buying lunch from the Holland Drive outlet of popular noodle chain Tai Wah Pork Noodle on Jul. 28 (Friday).
While he was enjoying his takeaway box of noodles from the outlet, located at 40 Holland Drive, the 40-year-old man uncovered a large cockroach nestled at the bottom.
First time trying that outlet
Liang, a resident who lives nearby, told Mothership that he had not ordered food from that particular outlet before.
However, he knew that the stall's original Hong Lim outlet was famous -- it received a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand award -- so he decided to give it a try.
The longstanding noodle chain, which started in 1939, has a total of 13 outlets in Singapore.
At the stall, Liang said he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, at least with regard to hygiene.
He purchased a pack of Dry Pork Noodles to go, and paid S$5.30 for the meal.
Image courtesy of Liang.
After that, he went home to enjoy his meal.
It was only when he was halfway through the meal when he found the cockroach at the bottom of the box.
Video courtesy of Liang.
Having lost his appetite, Liang dumped the food without taking another bite.
Not going back again
Liang shared that the discovery "shocked" him, as he never thought it would happen to him.
He added that the box wasn't left unattended in the period of time before he found the cockroach, so he was unsure how it got inside.
Later that day, he contacted the noodle chain on Instagram, but as of writing time, had not received a reply.
He has also reported the matter to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
When asked if he would consider patronising any of the other Tai Wah Pork Noodle outlets, Liang said it was unlikely.
Tai Wah claimed possible sabotage
In response to Mothership's queries, a spokesperson from Tai Wah Pork Noodle confirmed that they were aware of the customer's complaint, but asserted that the cockroach had probably been planted in the takeaway box to sabotage their reputation.
He claimed it was highly unlikely that staff at the stall would not have detected such a large cockroach when preparing the food.
He also said that the cockroach in Liang's picture did not look like it had been cooked together with the noodles, pointing out that it might have been added in later.
"And if he stirred the noodles when he opened the box, he would have definitely seen the cockroach immediately, not halfway through the meal," the spokesperson added.
Additionally, the store's representative pointed out that an officer from the National Environment Agency visited the stall on Aug. 1 to conduct a cleanliness check, which went without incident.
Staff also checked through camera footage at the stall during the period where the customer's order was placed, and no cockroach was seen on the premises, he said.
In a two-minute clip shared with Mothership, the interior of the stall was arranged in a tidy manner, and there were no pests seen during the cooking process.
Customer's response
When Mothership shared the stall's response with Liang, he denied putting the cockroach into the food himself.
Instead, he questioned the staff's "work ethic" if they did not detect such a large cockroach in the box.
Liang added that he had no prior relationship with the stall owners, having never met them before, and pointed out that he did not ask for a refund for the meal.
"So what reason would I have to plant a roach in my own meal?" he said.
Food operators must play their part: SFA
In response to Mothership's queries, SFA affirmed that food safety is a joint responsibility.
SFA said that while it puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices.
Additionally, those who come across any potentially errant food operator should report the matter to SFA via the online feedback form (www.sfa.gov.sg/feedback).
SFA added that it takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback about poor food safety practices.
As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, the agency may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence is obtained.
Top image courtesy of Liang / Google.