Home-based fried chicken seller's customer says she found hair in her order: 'So gross'
A home-based fried chicken seller has come under renewed scrutiny after a customer said she found two strands of hair in her order, following previous concerns over the owner's hygiene practices last October.
Sofyan bin Nur Mohammad, a full-time foreign exchange trader, runs Chef Fyan, a home-based fried chicken business, on the side. The 24-year-old first made headlines last October when a TikTok Live showed him handling cooked chicken with his bare hands.
Another complaint surfaced on New Year's Day, documented by TikTok user @naivanderwaal. The video, garnering over 87,100 views, shows the customer's reaction to the food.
While a woman spoons food onto her plate, another diner points to it and says: "There's hair."
The woman responds with incredulity, asking: "From where? What is this?"
As a second strand of hair is discovered, the woman takes a few bites of the food, commenting that it is "very dry".
'This is the first in over 800 orders': Business responds
In response to Stomp's queries, Mr Sofyan said that he wears masks, gloves, and an apron when preparing food, and washes his hands thoroughly during cooking. He added that he does not have a food safety certification as it is "not necessary".
"I have [sic] zero hygiene related complaints before this. This is the first in over 800 orders," he told Stomp.
Regarding the previous incident, he said the complaint came from members of the public, instead of a customer, and he does not consider such comments as complaints.
He added that the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) visited his flat on Dec 3 to check on food preparation processes after members of the public raised concerns about hygiene practices, and found "nothing wrong" with the business.
"I hope the netizens out there don't believe in food reviews 100 per cent. They should order for themselves before giving a judgement," he concluded.
Mr Sofyan also addressed the most recent incident in a TikTok post on Jan 2, saying that it was not representative of his operations. "Food safety is enforced through standards and corrective action, not public mockery," he said, with commenters generally supportive.
According to SFA's website, home-based food businesses do not require an SFA licence to operate, although they are still required to comply with food safety requirements such as ensuring food is safe for consumption.
Stomp has reached out to naivanderwaal and SFA for more information.
F&B consultant calls for stricter regulations
Former F&B operator Khoo Keat Hwee, 39, has been vocal in his calls for stricter enforcement of regulations to ensure food safety among home-based businesses. "It just feels like the authorities don't care anymore," he told Stomp.
The F&B consultant pointed out that some home-based businesses cater to about 50 to 100 customers. "Home-based businesses are said to operate on a smaller scale. But nowadays it's becoming big. A lot of things are not fair for 'legitimate' businesses," he said.
"But at the end of the day, people are out there fighting for themselves in order to survive. Home-based businesses also want to make a living," he concluded.
'So gross': Netizens bewildered
Some netizens were shocked by the Jan 1 incident, commenting on naivanderwaal's post that they would not consume the food.
"If I found hair in my food I couldn't [sic] bring myself to swallow anything from the plate anymore! It's so purely gross," one commented.
Others joked that the business had given the customer a "free gift".
However, one netizen said that they "wouldn't even care".
"It happens even in your local or fav [sic] cafes and kopitiam. We all die anyways [sic], as long as the food is warm and good, I'd still eat it," the user added.
