Rat spotted at economy rice stall in SIT Punggol campus food court, SFA investigating

A rat was spotted at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) Punggol campus, sparking public concern over food safety and hygiene standards.

A 16-second video, which has been widely circulated online, showed the rodent scurrying around the cashier counter of an economy rice stall at Foodgle Hub, the campus food court.

The stall appeared to be closed at the time.

The video also captured the rat climbing onto the Point-of-Sale (POS) tablet on the counter, leaving many viewers appalled.

Reactions

On Reddit, some users expressed disgust and urged the matter be reported to the authorities.

However, some responded with light-hearted jokes, likening the rat to Remy, the chef rat from Disney's Ratatouille.

Stall owner said stall thoroughly disinfected

According to Shin Min Daily News, when its reporters visited the food court on Sep. 28, one of the stall's male staff said he was aware of the video and believed that the incident took place on Thursday night, Sep. 25.

He explained that no food was left at the stall, which was closed at the time, and that the stall was thoroughly disinfected afterwards.

The staff member added that though the food court is relatively new, its green surroundings and overhead piping may have attracted the rats.

"Occasionally, rats are spotted in other stalls as well," he said. "During the day, they crawl along the ceiling pipes, but the situation gets worse at night, as they will enter the stalls directly to look for food."

He stated that regular cleaning and disinfection were the only ways to mitigate the issue, and added that the stall has since reported the situation to the management.

Other vendors interviewed also admitted that they see rats occasionally, but added that it is difficult to completely eradicate them.

Investigations are ongoing

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it is currently investigating the matter.

The agency said it "takes a serious view towards food safety" and that food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices, and ensure that their premises are clean and well-maintained.

SFA added that members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report to SFA via the online feedback form:

"SFA 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."

Public concerns over the issue

Some members of the public have expressed concern over the rat situation.

One member of the public, a 45-year-old woman surnamed Chen (transliterated), told Shin Min that she was worried that the rats would contaminate the food, especially since the food court is open to the public and parents often bring their children there for meals on weekends:

"Such a situation is hard to prevent. I can only hope that vendors would be more vigilant."

Another man, surnamed Li (transliteration), described the sight of rats entering the stalls as "disgusting", and hoped that the management would take measures to solve the issue as soon as possible.

A 65-year-old retiree, surnamed Liu (transliteration), said that though he had never seen rats in the food court, the video made him him feel uncomfortable and nauseous.

He suggested that vendors place mouse traps around the food court or engage professional pest control services.

Top photos via Reddit, Shin Min Daily News