[UPDATED on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 4:25pm: The article has been updated with a statement from McDonald's.]
One McDonald's customer received a rude shock when she opened a Filet-O-Fish box from the fast food chain's Funan Mall outlet on the evening of Dec. 12.
Inside, there was a live cockroach perched on the side of her burger.
The customer, Ning, 22, told Mothership that it ruined not just her appetite, but her and her boyfriend's evening as well.
They have since reported the matter to McDonald's and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
Following the incident, SFA stated that it has since inspected the outlet, but did not detect any pest infestation or food safety lapses.
The incident
On that day, Ning had arranged with her boyfriend to go for a walk around Marina Bay Sands (MBS), and enjoy the Christmas lights.
He had a meal first before stopping by the Funan Mall McDonald's outlet to buy her a Filet-O-Fish meal for dinner.
Ning said that it was not her first time ordering from that particular outlet.
Neither did her boyfriend notice anything amiss with the hygiene of the outlet — he said it seemed like any other McDonald's.
After buying the takeaway meal, it was a 30-minute walk for him to get to MBS and meet Ning.
He handed her the bag directly and left to use the toilet while she found a place outside MBS to sit.
However, after Ning pulled out the Filet-O-Fish box and opened its lid, she glimpsed a dark-coloured object inside.
Then, she saw its feelers twitching.
Image from Ning.
Ning shared that while the cockroach was alive with its feelers moving, it looked sluggish and was not crawling around inside.
She was nevertheless horrified by the sight.
"It was traumatising," she said.
She added that neither her nor her boyfriend had left the Filet-O-Fish box on the ground at any point, and doubted it could have crawled in due to its size.
"No mood already"
Needless to say, Ning lost her appetite.
The unpleasant discovery also thwarted their plans for an evening stroll at MBS.
"In the end, there was no mood already," Ning admitted.
They headed over to Suntec City instead to find her something else to eat.
Later, Ning posted about the incident on Facebook and her boyfriend notified McDonald's about it through a feedback survey.
She also reported it to SFA.
Ning said her boyfriend tried to make light of what happened, quipping, "I gave the cockroach a free ride from Funan to MBS".
On her part, however, Ning said it would be her last time eating at that McDonald's outlet.
"It may be tough for me to eat McDonald's again," she admitted.
No food safety lapses, but customer was offered compensation: McDonald's
Ning said that on Dec. 14, her boyfriend was contacted by the manager of the McDonald's Funan outlet, who apologised for the incident.
The manager offered to compensate them with food vouchers, she added.
In response to Mothership's enquiries, a McDonald's spokesperson offered an apology for the customer's experience in a statement on Dec. 19.
The spokesperson said that upon being alerted of the incident, their quality assurance team took immediate action and further investigations were conducted by the relevant authorities, including SFA, as well as a pest control company.
As part of investigations, the restaurant’s CCTV footage was checked but there was no deviation or lapse in the safety of their food preparation process, the spokesperson added.
Afterwards, the chain reached out directly to the customer to share the findings and extended an offer to make good her experience.
"At McDonald’s, we recognise high hygiene standards as an integral part of our business, and we take all feedback relating to the quality of our food very seriously," the spokesperson concluded.
No pest infestation, food safety lapses detected: SFA
An SFA spokesperson also confirmed with Mothership that the agency has inspected the food establishment and did not detect any pest infestation or food safety lapses.
Nevertheless, SFA has reminded the food operator to ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained and that their food handlers adhere to good food safety practices.
"Food safety is a joint responsibility. While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices," the spokesperson added.
Members of the public who come across any potentially errant food operator should report the case to SFA via their online feedback form (www.sfa.gov.sg/feedback).
As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained.
Top image from Ning. Quotes edited for clarity.