Woman finds herself dining with maggots at Senja Hawker Centre, stall given warning
A woman was dining at Senja Hawker Centre when she discovered that her meal came 'served' with maggots.
Stomper Lynn visited the Ah Di Claypot stall on March 12, at around 7pm. The hawker centre is managed by Kopitiam, which falls under FairPrice Group.
She shared videos showing a pool of maggots wriggling on her table at the food court. Some can also be seen on her food tray.
Lynn recounted: "I had finished my food and was cleaning the table before returning my tray when I saw worms moving on the table.
"I believe the maggots were under the aluminium supporting the claypot and fell out when I lifted the claypot with the aluminium, as there was nothing on the tray before that."
Lynn said she was brushed off when she tried informing staff about the issue. She reported the incident to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on the same night.
The Stomper added: "I told workers at the stall, but a woman simply said she would tell her helper about it and had no intention of coming to take a look. I also informed a cleaner, but she told me to just leave everything there and there would be people cleaning it later."
A FairPrice Group spokesperson told Stomp: "Kopitiam prioritises a safe and clean dining environment for all our patrons.
"In response to a recent isolated stall incident, we had promptly conducted a full inspection and reached out to the affected customer. We have since issued a warning to the stall involved.
"As part of our ongoing commitment to prevent future occurrences, we have increased the monitoring of all stalls to ensure that our strict hygiene standards are consistently met. Furthermore, we have also reinforced our washing and cleaning protocols throughout the hawker centre."
In response to a Stomp query, SFA said it inspected the food establishment and did not detect any pest infestation.
"However, enforcement action will be taken against the licensee for other food safety lapses observed during the inspection," SFA added.
"The food operator was reminded to ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained and their food handlers adhere to good food safety practices."
"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."
Members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report to SFA via its online feedback form.
SFA said it takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices.
The agency told Stomp: "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."
