Woman finds '7-8 hairs' in toast from Taman Jurong hawker stall, owner says 'cannot be'
A Stomper said she was left disgusted after allegedly finding several strands of hair in her toast from a hawker stall in Taman Jurong.
Stomper Mavis told Stomp she bought toast from Can't Stop Eating Toast at Taman Jurong Market and Food Centre on Oct 30.
"I brought my food home and found seven to eight hairs in it," said the Stomper.
"Is this what consumers receive when trying to support small businesses and hawkers?
"It's filthy and not cheap - I paid $6.20 for this toast alone, which is more expensive than Ya Kun."
She said she had intended to support hawkers following recent online discussions encouraging Singaporeans to patronise local stalls instead of restaurants.
"Hawkers often say young people prefer restaurants, but maybe they should ask why," she said. "Restaurants usually have visible hygiene practices - kitchen staff wearing masks, hairnets, caps and spit guards.
"We pay premium prices to enjoy our meals."
In a Google review reply to the Stomper, the stall owner denied the allegation, saying it 'cannot be' so many hairs were in the toast as staff wear masks and hair scarves while preparing food.
The owner added that it was likely a mistake or misunderstanding but apologised for the incident.
Mavis said she reported the incident to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
She was told that while human hair may carry traces of microorganisms and of chemicals, the level of food safety risk was assessed to be 'minimal'.
"Should it only be a concern when there's a cockroach or rat in the food?" asked the Stomper.
In response to a Stomp query, an SFA spokesperson said: "The SFA had inspected the food establishment and did not detect any food safety lapses. Nonetheless, the food operators were reminded to practise good personal and food hygiene, and that all food sold must be free of foreign matter and safe for consumption."
SFA added that it takes a serious view towards food safety and 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," a spokesperson said.
