‘That cockroach crawled out’: Woman finds live insect in mixed vegetable rice bought at Tampines

A woman in Singapore encountered a live cockroach in the mixed vegetable rice she purchased at a Tampines rice stall on November 4. The incident took place around 5:30 p.m. at a rice stall near the Tampines Bus Interchange. The woman ordered the meal to take home and only discovered the cockroach halfway through her meal. Disturbed by the sight, she immediately snapped a photo and discarded the meal.

The next day, she returned to the stall and showed the staff the photo of the cockroach, but was met with a hostile response. The staff refused to refund her money or apologize for the incident. The woman was left feeling ignored and eventually left without receiving a replacement meal. In an attempt to warn others, she shared her story on social media.

Upon further investigation, she found that another customer had reported a similar experience with a cockroach at the same stall a year earlier. The stall owner claimed that the cockroach likely entered the food after the packaging was completed, and that it's difficult to determine where the insect came from since the customer took the meal home.

The Singapore Food Agency is currently investigating the case and will take enforcement action if necessary. They emphasized that food safety is a shared responsibility and that businesses should adhere to proper food hygiene and handling practices. Recently, there were also reports of rats being spotted foraging for food at a coffee shop in Pasir Ris, which has raised concerns among the public about food hygiene standards.