A woman was shocked to find a black centipede in a packet of mixed rice her family had bought from a Bukit Batok coffeeshop.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The woman, identified as Lin, 60, told Shin Min Daily News<\/a> that her husband bought two packets of mixed rice from a stall at Block 155 Bukit Batok Street 11<\/a> at about 10am on Sept 24.<\/p>\n The meal, which cost about $12 in total, was meant for their daughter and son-in-law.<\/p>\n Lin\u2019s daughter was halfway through her meal when she suddenly spotted a long centipede among the food<\/a>. She immediately felt nauseous and vomited what she had eaten<\/a>, Lin said.<\/p>\n At around 2pm, she and her son-in-law brought the food, including the centipede, back to the stall to complain.<\/p>\n Lin said she was upset by the response from the staff, claiming that one female worker told her the centipede was \u201cfine\u201d.<\/p>\n Lin also claimed the staff said, \u201cEating it won\u2019t kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n Enraged by this, she challenged the worker: \u201cIf it\u2019s fine, then you eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Lin, the worker did not eat the centipede. However, when Shin Min spoke to the worker, she disputed Lin\u2019s account of the exchange.<\/p>\n The female employee confirmed that the two parties had argued over the centipede, but said she had apologised immediately when shown the centipede.<\/p>\n The centipede measured about four centimetres in length.<\/p>\n PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n According to her, the family did not accept the offer.<\/p>\n The worker also explained that Lin\u2019s son-in-law had told her his wife had been vomiting repeatedly.<\/p>\n She said this was why she suggested that his wife\u2019s nausea could have been caused by other factors instead of food poisoning.<\/p>\n The worker denied telling the woman that \u201cyou won\u2019t die from eating it\u201d, saying that was not what she meant.<\/p>\n She also said Lin had challenged her to eat the centipede during the argument, though she believed the customer was not being serious.<\/p>\n \u201cI can eat it if I have to,\u201d the worker told Shin Min.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Lin said she felt that the stall had treated her as though she was trying to \u201cextort\u201d money<\/a> from them, and she has yet to receive any refund.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t received a single cent until now. I\u2019m 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She added that she would not return to the stall after the incident, further claiming that its pig trotter dish<\/a> had previously had a strange smell.<\/p>\n The incident left her so upset that she accidentally knocked over one of the food containers while speaking to Shin Min.<\/p>\n She said she had originally planned to take a trip to Johor Bahru<\/a> with her husband but that the incident had affected their mood.<\/p>\n She has also reported the matter to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).<\/p>\n A male employee at the stall told Shin Min that staff members normally wash and handle ingredients<\/a> carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter an incident like this, we will reflect on it and be more careful when handling food in future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As for Lin\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n In response to queries, the SFA said it is following up on the matter.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The SFA also stressed that food safety is a shared responsibility.<\/p>\n Food operators are required to follow good food hygiene and handling practices and ensure that their premises are kept clean.<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See something interesting? Contribute<\/a> your story to us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nStall worker says she apologised and offered a refund<\/h2>\n
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Customer wants to warn other diners<\/h2>\n
Stall to be more careful with food preparation<\/h2>\n
SFA following up on the case<\/h2>\n
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