Rat falls into soup at Lucky Plaza basement food court, worker snatches it up with rag

A rat allegedly fell into the plates of unsuspecting diners at a Lucky Plaza basement food court on Feb. 18.

A reader, who goes by J., witnessed the incident and told Mothership that it occurred at 5pm at the Asian Food Mall located at B1 of Lucky Plaza on Orchard Road.

An 18-second video of the incident was posted to TikTok before being taken down. The video was reuploaded to Reddit on the r/singaporehappenings subreddit.

The video was captioned "Happy New Year of the Rat?"

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it was investigating the incident and 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. Food operators should also ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained."

Worker snatches rat

J. said, "The rat fell from the ceiling, which is full of ductwork and pipes."

"It fell into the soup and was visibly wet. It climbed out of the soup and then sat disoriented on the food plate."

The video showed the rat perched on a fork atop a plate of rice.

A woman moved her belongings away, and the rat moved off the plate and sat atop the table.

A worker rushed over and snatched the rat with a wet rag.

J. said that the stall owners replaced the contaminated food and offered them takeaway meals. He claimed the management did not come to apologise, and that he would not eat there again.

Food court conducted comprehensive cleaning

Asian Food Mall responded to queries from The Straits Times.

“The pest and the affected food were promptly removed. The stall operator immediately replaced the affected food items for the customer, and the affected area was cleaned and disinfected.”

According to them, this was the first rat sighting on the premises.

The operator added that they "remain committed to maintaining a clean and safe dining environment for all customers".

SFA investigating

J. said that a report was filed the same night with NEA and SFA.

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

The agency "may engage the feedback provider for more details" as part of the evidence-gathering process and "will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained."

Members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report to SFA via the online feedback form.

Mothership has reached out to Asian Food Mall and Lucky Plaza's management for comment.

Top photo from J. and Reddit