4cm centipede found in mixed rice at Bukit Batok stall

A woman was shocked to find a black centipede in a packet of mixed rice her family had bought from a Bukit Batok coffeeshop.

She later returned to the stall with the food to raise the issue, but what followed was a heated exchange between her and a female stall worker.

The woman, identified as Lin, 60, told Shin Min Daily News that her husband bought two packets of mixed rice from a stall at Block 155 Bukit Batok Street 11 at about 10am on Sept 24.

The meal, which cost about $12 in total, was meant for their daughter and son-in-law.

Lin’s daughter was halfway through her meal when she suddenly spotted a long centipede among the food. She immediately felt nauseous and vomited what she had eaten, Lin said.

At around 2pm, she and her son-in-law brought the food, including the centipede, back to the stall to complain.

Lin said she was upset by the response from the staff, claiming that one female worker told her the centipede was “fine”.

Lin also claimed the staff said, “Eating it won’t kill you.”

Enraged by this, she challenged the worker: “If it’s fine, then you eat it.”

According to Lin, the worker did not eat the centipede. However, when Shin Min spoke to the worker, she disputed Lin’s account of the exchange.

Stall worker says she apologised and offered a refund

The female employee confirmed that the two parties had argued over the centipede, but said she had apologised immediately when shown the centipede.

Although the employee could not confirm that the centipede had come from the stall, she said the business was willing to provide a refund and had also offered to let the family choose several dishes for free.

According to her, the family did not accept the offer.

The worker also explained that Lin’s son-in-law had told her his wife had been vomiting repeatedly.

She said this was why she suggested that his wife’s nausea could have been caused by other factors instead of food poisoning.

The worker denied telling the woman that “you won’t die from eating it”, saying that was not what she meant.

She also said Lin had challenged her to eat the centipede during the argument, though she believed the customer was not being serious.

“I can eat it if I have to,” the worker told Shin Min.

The worker said the stall would also be willing to compensate the family if they wanted a refund or if the daughter had become unwell and needed to see a doctor.

Customer wants to warn other diners

Lin later brought the two packets of mixed rice to Shin Min reporters, who saw a black centipede measuring about four centimetres inside the food.

Lin said she felt that the stall had treated her as though she was trying to “extort” money from them, and she has yet to receive any refund.

“I haven’t received a single cent until now. I’m not doing this for the money. I just feel that their attitude was very bad, so I hope to warn other diners to be more careful when eating at this stall,” she said.

She added that she would not return to the stall after the incident, further claiming that its pig trotter dish had previously had a strange smell.

The incident left her so upset that she accidentally knocked over one of the food containers while speaking to Shin Min.

She said she had originally planned to take a trip to Johor Bahru with her husband but that the incident had affected their mood.

She has also reported the matter to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

Stall to be more careful with food preparation

A male employee at the stall told Shin Min that staff members normally wash and handle ingredients carefully.

“After an incident like this, we will reflect on it and be more careful when handling food in future,” he said.

As for Lin’s claim that the pig trotter had a strange smell, he said staff had tried the dish after receiving the complaint but did not detect any unusual odour.

SFA following up on the case

In response to queries, the SFA said it is following up on the matter.

The agency said it will seek further details from the person who provided the feedback and would not rule out enforcement action if sufficient evidence is obtained.

The SFA also stressed that food safety is a shared responsibility.

Food operators are required to follow good food hygiene and handling practices and ensure that their premises are kept clean.

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