Rat hangs out in raw chicken outside Toa Payoh eatery
Workers at a roast meat stall in a Toa Payoh coffee shop had a shock yesterday morning.
The three men at 8 Plus Food House in Block 95 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 were preparing to open for business when they were told by friends that a video of the stall had been circulating online.
In the video, posted on Facebook yesterday by All Singapore Stuff, a rat can be seen wriggling inside one of the raw chickens in a large blue basket left outside the coffee shop.
The person taking the 35-second video, which was shot at around 3am, then kicks the container, prompting the rat to scurry out of the chicken.
The three workers, who declined to be named, told The New Paper in Mandarin that they were horrified and immediately discarded all the chickens.
They told TNP the ingredients were usually delivered early in the morning in a covered container. However, that morning, the chickens were left exposed.
The men, who have been running the stall for over a year, told TNP this had never happened before and decided to close the stall for the next few days to thoroughly clean the area.
They also told TNP that Singapore Food Agency (SFA) officers visited the premises early yesterday.
In a statement, SFA said it is investigating the incident and reminded food operators to ensure that food hygiene standards such as proper storage of raw ingredients are adhered to.
SFA said it will not hesitate to take enforcement action if food hygiene lapses are found.
The incident occurred a week after a rat was spotted at a Teochew eatery in Toa Payoh Lorong 8.
In a separate incident, two rats were seen in a video posted on Sure Boh Singapore's Facebook page yesterday, nibbling on sweet potatoes in Melon Supermarket at 510 Bedok North Street 3.
A spokesman for the supermarket declined to comment, saying it has referred the matter to the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC).
Residents TNP spoke to said that they have seen rats running around the area.
In statement to TNP, AHTC said it is aware of the matter and is working with the relevant authorities to rectify the matter.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
