After ordering a shaved ice dessert from a shop in Clementi Mall, a customer was dismayed to find that she had swallowed at least one piece of plastic found in it.
She proceeded to ask for S$16,000 in compensation from the shop, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The 35-year-old woman identified only as Ms Lin (transliterated from Mandarin) told Shin Min that she visited Mei Heong Yuen Dessert with a friend at about 8pm on 11 June.
Source: Google Maps
While eating a durian shaved ice dessert, she felt a hard lump in her mouth.
Thinking it was just crushed ice, she swallowed it, she said.
When she bit into something hard again, she spit it out and was horrified to find that it was a small piece of plastic.
Horrified, she realised that she had probably swallowed a piece of plastic earlier.
Furious, Ms Lin told the shop’s employees about this.
However, they did not know what to do and could not contact their manager, she said.
She asked them to check their durian purée, which reportedly turned up more pieces of plastic.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Ms Lin decided to call the shop’s main branch, but allegedly received a denial, claiming there could not be plastic in the dessert.
She was then offered a replacement or a refund.
She was also assured that staff would look into the matter, with the blame allegedly pinned onto the supplier, she said.
Mei Heong Yuen’s boss, Ms Zhu (transliterated from Mandarin), 34, told Shin Min that she was “puzzled” at how plastic pieces came to be inside the dessert.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The fragments could not have come from the ice machine as it crushes ice into very fine particles, she said.
The box that stored the durian purée had not been damaged, she added.
Following the incident, they checked the durian purée in all their outlets and found no issues, and the process of handling the purée at their central kitchen does not involve any plastic, she noted.
As the durian purée was provided by their supplier, the company has contacted them to understand the situation.
She also emphasised that food safety is a priority for them, so they would handle ingredients with caution and investigate the matter.
Ms Zhu said Ms Lin had asked for S$16,000 in compensation — S$8,000 each for her and her friend.
While the business is willing to take responsibility and bear any medical expenses, it could not agree to such a large amount, she added, describing it as “outrageous”.
She also noted that the pair did not produce any medical reports.
In response, Ms Lin admitted that she had asked for that amount, but claimed that it was the shop that brought up the matter of compensation.
At the moment, she is feeling fine, but she’s worried that she might suffer ill effects in future as she had consumed plastic, she said, adding:
If surgery or gastroscopy is required, it won’t be cheap.
She also charged that since the shop requested to solve the matter privately, but rejected the compensation amount, it showed that they were “not sincere”.
In response to queries by MS News, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said that while it puts in place and enforces regulatory measures, “food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices”.
“Food operators should also ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained.”
Those concerned about food safety practices by food operators can report it to SFA via their online feedback form.
“SFA takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices,” SFA said.
SFA said that it may engage the feedback provider for more details on the incident as part of its enquiry and will take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.