UPDATE (22 Oct): The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) shared that they’ve inspected the stall after receiving feedback and will be taking action for the “hygiene lapses”.
The full statement is available below.
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For hygiene reasons, most customers would be grossed out to see birds flying around places they’re eating at.
That’s why many open-air hawker centres and markets have installations like bird spikes to discourage them from flying in.
On Monday (19 Oct), a netizen was hanging out at Geylang when he spotted at least 2 pigeons having a feast at a cai png stall, pecking away at some of its dishes.
Footage of the ‘feast’ was uploaded the next day on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group.
The clip was reportedly captured at the mixed rice stall near Lorong 15 Geylang.
In the short video, 2 black pigeons are pecking away at cai png dishes placed out in the open. The food is apparently left unattended.
One of the birds is seen helping itself to pieces of fried chicken, while its pal in the background appears undecided.
The birds are unperturbed by the cameraman’s presence as they continue to feast on the dishes.
However, the pair flies away almost immediately as he suddenly comes closer to the stall.
The troubling video garnered over 200 shares within a short span of 1 hour.
Predictably, most netizens were appalled by the events in the footage.
Another pointed out that it was unwise to leave the food unattended.
Others joked that one of the birds were cannibals, as the fried item that it was eating was a chicken — which is also considered a bird.
MS News has reached out to the Singapore Food Agency for comments. Stay tuned for further updates.
In response to MS News ‘queries, SFA shared that they view food hygiene extremely seriously and will not hesitate to take action.
Under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations, every person selling cooked food must protect the food from likely contamination and not prepare any food which is unfit for consumption. SFA conducts regular inspections of food retail establishments to ensure compliance with our regulations, and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if necessary.
Enforcement action will be taken against the stall for the breach.
SFA promptly inspected the food stall upon receiving feedback. We will be taking enforcement action for the hygiene lapses detected. We have also warned the operator to ensure that food is not left exposed and to remind staff to cover the food when they momentarily step away from the stall.
Members of the public are also urged to report hygiene breaches by errant food operators to SFA online.
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 come across any potentially errant food operator should report to SFA via the online feedback form (www.sfa.gov.sg/feedback). As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details. SFA will not hesitate to take enforcement action against errant food handlers if we have obtained sufficient evidence.
We hope the affected dishes were not served to customers and that the stall will take the necessary steps to deter similar ‘unsolicited guests’ from flying into the premises.
Have you seen similar scenes at another eatery? Share your experiences with us in the comments below.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at hello@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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