Family ‘shocked into stunned silence’ after allegedly finding ‘cockroach head’ in Scarlett Supermarket’s pork bun
A family was horrified after discovering what appeared to be a cockroach head inside a pork bun bought from Scarlett Supermarket at Pasir Ris Mall.
Stomper Han Siang said his family regularly shops at the supermarket for groceries and snacks. They also recently started patronising its cooked food section.
However, during a meal there on April 17, they made a shocking discovery.
“While dining there, we noticed a ‘hair’ sticking out of a half-eaten pork bun,” said the Stomper.
“We pulled it out and on closer inspection realised that it was a cockroach head.
“We may have already consumed the rest of its body. That thought shocked us into stunned silence for half a minute.”
Photos shared by the Stomper show what appears to be part of the insect in a wooden steamer, alongside a receipt from the supermarket.
According to the receipt, the family had purchased a pork bun for $4.80 and a serving of pan-fried buns for $7.
“The standard of food safety, hygiene and pest control there is obviously shockingly unacceptable,” said Han Siang.
“My family is very upset with the experience.”
The Stomper said he wrote to Scarlett’s customer service via e-mail but did not receive a response.
He also contacted the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and said he was informed the agency had investigated the matter.
In response to a Stomp query, Scarlett Supermarket said on May 6: “The matter had previously been brought to our attention and was followed up accordingly.
“The relevant authorities had also conducted the necessary checks at the outlet, and no issues were identified following the review.”
The supermarket added that it had no further comments.
SFA told Stomp on May 4 that it had inspected the food establishment and did not detect any food safety lapses.
“Nonetheless, the food operators were reminded to practice good personal and food hygiene, and that all food sold must be free of foreign matter and safe for consumption,” an SFA spokesperson said.
The agency added that food safety is a joint responsibility and food operators must ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained.
“SFA takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices,” the spokesperson said.
“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.”
On May 12, Han Siang told Stomp that he still has not heard back from Scarlett Supermarket.
“It is good that SFA inspected and found no issues,” he said. “We appreciate that very much. Theirs is not an easy task.
“However, fact remains the cockroach head was found inside cooked food served to us by the supermarket.
“The pork bun contains minced meat, which may have been prepared elsewhere and delivered to the supermarket as ingredient.”
He added that it was “disappointing” neither the supermarket nor its parent entity Green Olive Group “chose not to reply to me, took no responsibility and spent no effort in service recovery, despite proper evidence presented to them by paying customers who were left shaken by the experience”.
“We will certainly never eat there again,” he said.
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