[UPDATE at 10:30am on Jul. 19, 2024: The article has been updated with a statement from Far East Organisation.]

A woman out shopping at Orchard Central on the afternoon of Jul. 14 spotted a rat on a vacant dining table at the Don Don Donki outlet there.

It reportedly remained on the table for at least 10 minutes, attracting the attention of mall-goers.

The supermarket confirmed with Mothership the rat had fallen from the ceiling, and the area was disinfected thoroughly afterwards.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) told Mothership that it is looking into the matter.

The incident

The woman, surnamed Qiu (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that she was shopping in Orchard Central with her husband when they passed by the Don Don Donki outlet at about 1:30pm.

The outlet is located at basement 2 of the mall.

At the dining area of the outlet, Qiu saw a rat sitting still on a table.

As it was not moving, she initially thought it was a table decoration.

"It was only when I looked closely, that I realised it was an actual rat," she said.

Qiu was shocked by what she saw, so she stayed to look at it for about 10 minutes.

She said other passersby had gathered around the table to look, but the rat did not move.

Qiu subsequently reported the matter to Don Don Donki staff and left.

After more than half an hour, Qiu passed by the same spot but the rat was gone.

"I feel that the mall or the supermarket should look into this, and ascertain where exactly the rats are coming from," Qiu added.

A Shin Min reporter who visited the scene the same afternoon observed that many diners were eating at the tables outside the outlet, but there was no sign of rats there.

Rat fell from ceiling, area disinfected: Don Don Donki

Deborah Tan, director of retail business group at Far East Organisation, which manages the mall, confirmed with Mothership that on Jul. 14 at around 2:20pm, the mall was notified by staff on duty of a rodent sighting in a tenanted area at basement 2.

"Actions were taken immediately to ensure the affected area was deep cleaned and sanitised," Tan said.

"We will continue to work closely with all tenants in the mall to reinforce the importance of concerted effort and regular pest control,” she added.

A Don Don Donki spokesperson told Mothership that it is aware of the Jul. 14 incident where a rat fell from the ceiling of the dining area at its Orchard Central outlet.

"We understand the gravity of the incident and have taken immediate actions to disinfect the area thoroughly", the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said Don Don Donki has engaged a pest control vendor to implement further measures, and is also working closely with Orchard Central mall management to prevent further occurrences.

"Additionally, we assisted both SFA and the National Environment Agency (NEA) in the comprehensive inspection of our premises to address any potential pest issues," the spokesperson added.

We are looking into the matter: SFA

In response to Mothership's queries, an SFA spokesperson said the agency is looking into the matter.

The spokesperson also stressed that 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.

The agency reminded food operators to ensure that their premises are clean and well-maintained.

It also advised members of the public who come across any potentially errant food operator to report the matter to SFA via the online feedback form.

"SFA takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices. 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", the spokesperson said.

Not the first time

This is not the first time that rats have been spotted in and around food outlets in Singapore.

In November 2023, a rat fell from the ceiling onto a food-laden tray at Tangs Market in Orchard, startling diners.

Other rodents have been spotted at FairPrice and Delifrance outlet within the past year.

NEA announced in April that it will be tackling the rat problem using surveillance cameras with thermal detection capabilities.

This is part of a four-month trial where the cameras will be deployed over two-week periods at known rat hotspots in Singapore.

NEA and SFA will also step up enforcement of waste management at food premises and bin centres to cut off rats' access to food sources.

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Top image from Shin Min Daily News