Customer complains of mouldy chilli at Yishun coffee shop, stall throws out condiment

Customer says he suffered stomachache for four days due to mouldy chilli at Yishun stall

A customer has complained of stomachache after eating “mouldy chilli” at an economical rice stall in Yishun.

The electrician named only as Mr Hong (transliterated from Mandarin) told Shin Min Daily News he patronised the stall at a coffee shop in Block 807 Yishun Ring Road on 27 Dec.

Chilli at Yishun stall appears to be mouldy

There, the 56-year-old used the chilli sauce placed outside the stall, but felt stomach discomfort afterwards, he said.

When he returned to the stall the next, he discovered that the chilli appeared to be mouldy.

He noticed “white spots” in the condiment and took a photo.

He called out to the stall worker but just received a blank stare, he added.

Though he did not patronise the stall after he saw the suspected mould, he suffered stomachache for four days and believed it was due to the chilli.

Yishun stall immediately threw out mouldy chilli sauce

When Shin Min approached the stall on Monday (30 Dec), an employee surnamed Wang said he saw a man taking photos outside the stall that day.

However, he was washing up at the time and the man left without saying anything, he added.

Later, he checked out the chilli sauce and found that it had turned mouldy.

He immediately threw it out and washed the container, he said, and there was “no way” they would leave it out for customers to eat.

Chilli will spoil when customers use wet utensils to scoop

Another employee surnamed Huang said chilli sauce will deteriorate easily upon coming into contact with water.

The sauces used by the stall are obtained directly from the manufacturer and provided in sealed packages.

If they aren’t opened, they won’t come into contact with water so there will be no spoilage. Thus, there have been no problems so far, he added.

The chilli sauce placed outside the stall for customers’ self-service, however, will spoil when customers use their own wet utensils to scoop it up, he explained.

That’s why they provide spoons for customers to use when taking the chilli, he stated.

No more chilli observed at Yishun stall

The stall will investigate the mouldy chilli sauce, Huang said.

Shin Min observed that there was no chilli or other condiments outside the stall on Monday.

Huang explained that their chilli sauce is used up every one or two days and there were no deliveries over the past two days, so they couldn’t provide chilli if that happened.

Also read: People’s Park Centre stall charges S$2 for chilli sauce, owner says it’s to prevent wastage