Rat sighting at SIT Punggol campus food court prompts SFA probe
The Singapore Food Agency confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
A rat sighting at a mixed-rice stall in the Singapore Institute of Technology's (SIT) Punggol campus food court has prompted a probe by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
Instagram user sgfollowsall posted a 16-second clip that shows a rat inside the stall climbing over the cashier counter and onto a tablet device, prompting disgusted reactions from netizens.
The post had garnered over 2,500 likes and 1,000 shares at press time.
Stall owners report rat sightings
When reporters from Shin Min Daily News visited the food court on Sept 28, a male assistant at the affected stall acknowledged the viral video and said he believed the incident occurred on the evening of Sept 25.
The stall was already closed for the day and no food was left out at the time. He also confirmed that the stall had been thoroughly disinfected afterwards.
He explained that although the food court is relatively new, the greenery in the surrounding area, along with the many overhead pipes, may have attracted rodents.
"Other stalls occasionally spot rats too. We see rats crawling along the ceiling pipes during the day, and the situation gets worse at night when they enter the stalls looking for food," said the male employee, who declined to give his name.
He added that stall operators can only try to prevent this by stepping up cleaning and disinfection efforts, and they have reported the situation to the management.
Other vendors interviewed also admitted rats were sometimes seen in the area, but added that they are difficult to eradicate.
SFA: Investigations are underway
In response to TNP's queries, SFA confirmed that it is investigating the matter.
An SFA spokesperson said that the public is encouraged to report food safety concerns to the agency. Members of the public who provide feedback may be contacted for details, and enforcement action will be taken if sufficient evidence is gathered.
Foodgle Hub apologises
A spokesperson from Foodgle Hub confirmed that it was alerted to the issue on Sept 25 at 10pm, and the stall was disinfected at 6.30am the next day.
The company apologised for the matter, stating that preventive steps were put in place following the incident. Additional measures included increased pest control to twice a month, adding more traps, and conducting internal inspections twice a week.
The spokesperson added that regular checks are also carried out by SFA and the National Environment Agency. A report from the most recent inspection, conducted on Sept 29, 2.30pm, stated that "everything was found to be in order".
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Foodgle Hub.