--- title: "Diner feels ‘nauseated to the max’ after claiming to find long hair in food, Sushi Express apologises" url: "/singapore-seen/diner-feels-nauseated-max-after-claiming-find-long-hair-food-sushi-express-apologises" published: "2026-10-27T09:58:06.000Z" updated: "2026-10-27T09:58:06.000Z" section: "Singapore Seen" authors: ["Cherlynn Ng"] tags: ["food","restaurant","unhygienic","disgusting","SFA","Singapore Seen","Sushi Express"] --- # Diner feels ‘nauseated to the max’ after claiming to find long hair in food, Sushi Express apologises Hoping to practise for an upcoming foodie challenge, two diners attempted to finish 40 plates of sushi in 50 minutes. However, their dream of winning cash prizes from Sushi Express’ Big Eater Challenge ended before it could even begin. Stomper Cathy said she and a friend visited Sushi Express at Westgate on Oct 20 at around 12.40pm. The meal was meant to be a way for them to “test the waters” before they committed to registering for the challenge. According to Cathy, everything went well until she was on her last plate of sushi. “One of the rules was that you have to clear the plate including the garnish, so I looked down to check my plate as a practice,” she recounted. ## Diner recalls pulling hair out of her mouth: ‘Nauseating’ The Stomper said she saw a strand of hair below her chin and tried to swipe it off her face, thinking it was her hair. “I was aghast when I discovered it was dangling from my mouth,” she recalled. “I pulled the strand of hair and realised it was inside my mouth. I could feel the hair sliding on my tongue and lips.” ![Hair found in food at Sushi Express](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/8b8bd7fdd371597310f03de6c6a1957e370fea6974ac089e7202173f5f4f9710) *The Stomper said the strand of hair was “black and long” — a contrast from her orangey red and short hair.* Disgusted, Cathy immediately spat out all the food in her mouth. “I felt so nauseous and was belching,” she told Stomp, adding that the hair was black and long — a contrast to her orangey-red and short hair. Cathy said she informed staff about her discovery and requested to speak to a manager, who came out and “apologised profusely”. “He stated that the hair was definitely not from his staff,” the Stomper added. “He said it was very likely from the rice which was sent to their outlet.” According to Cathy, the manager offered to waive the bill. “We told him we would pay for the share that my buddy ate, as we did not wish to be labelled as freeloaders,” said Cathy. “He gave us a 50 per cent discount.” As Cathy was unable to “get over the nauseating feeling of pulling that strand of hair” from her mouth, the pair of friends decided not to join the Big Eater Challenge on Oct 28 as planned. “After paying the bills, I rushed to the nearby toilet to puke,” Cathy told Stomp on Oct 22. “It still gives me a retching feeling and goosebumps whenever I think of the hair.” ## Sushi Express apologises, conducts investigation In response to a Stomp query, Sushi Express said it had conducted an internal investigation to review the incident. It also “sincerely apologises” for the diners’ “unpleasant dining experience” and the “unfortunate incident”. “We understand that finding a foreign object, such as hair, in food can be upsetting and disappointing, and we deeply regret the concern and discomfort this may have caused,” said the restaurant on Oct 25. Sushi Express confirmed that its manager on duty had promptly apologised and offered the 50 per cent discount as a gesture of goodwill. It noted: “While efforts were made to address the situation at the time, we recognise that this does not take away from the unpleasant experience the customers encountered.” The restaurant said food hygiene and safety remain its utmost priority. All kitchen staff are required to adhere to strict hygiene protocols, including wearing hairnets during food preparation. “Following the incident, the relevant food items were inspected and no further foreign objects were found,” shared the restaurant. “Nevertheless, we take this matter seriously and will continue to reinforce our hygiene and food handling procedures to minimise the risk of similar incidents.”   “We have also reminded our service team of the importance of responding to customer concerns with care and empathy, and refraining from making assumptions before the circumstances have been properly established.” Sushi Express added that it remains committed to upholding high standards of food hygiene, safety and customer service. ## Diner criticises SFA’s response Cathy had also reported the incident to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and took issue with the “distasteful” response she received. ![Hair found in food at Sushi Express](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/0a7605ccef2d49eb1072cfedc46813f014ac3106b35abcd651e2dbecc3a7525b) *The Stomper was dissatisfied with the reply she received from SFA.* In an email reply seen by Stomp, SFA said it was sorry to hear about Cathy’s experience but added: “While human hair may contain traces of microorganisms and of chemicals, the level of food safety risk has been assessed to be minimal.” SFA also told Cathy that it would continue to “monitor the operator through our surveillances”. The reply did not sit well with the Stomper, who felt dismissed and shot back with a sharply worded email. ![Hair found in food at Sushi Express](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/e90cd02e84831332168c369f6b7a56e8bc165913033213e44ce265cbb4f5d182) *Unhappy with SFA’s response, the Stomper shot back with a sharply worded email.* Cathy acknowledged “nobody died” from hair in their food, but reiterated that the incident was “nauseating to the max!” Stomp has contacted the SFA for more info.