Woman seeks $16k from dessert chain over plastic in shaved ice dish

A woman who discovered plastic fragments in her bowl of durian shaved ice is asking for $16,000 in compensation from a dessert chain.

Ms Lin, 35, told Shin Min Daily News that she visited Mei Heong Yuen Dessert in Clementi Mall at around 8pm on June 11 with a friend.

While having her dessert, she bit into something hard, but initially dismissed it as ice and continued eating.

Then it happened again.

"I spat it out and found it was plastic fragments, but I had already eaten some and didn't know what harm it would cause!"

Furious, Ms Lin, who works in the service industry, reported her discovery to the store employee.

However, the employee did not know what to do, said Ms Lin, and the store manager could not be reached.

She then escalated the issue to the company's headquarters, but felt that their response was perfunctory.

The company representative she spoke to emphasised that plastic fragments could not have appeared in the dessert, and suggested a replacement or refund.

Ms Lin did not accept their response and requested that the employee check the ingredients.

The employee then poured the durian paste through a filter and found about eight more plastic fragments.

"The person in charge stressed that it could not be the store's problem and blamed the problem on the supplier," Ms Lin said.

An isolated case - Mei Heong Yuen

Mei Heong Yuen Dessert spokesperson, Ms Zhu, 34, told Shin Min it was an isolated case and that she was also puzzled by the appearance of plastic in the food.

The ice machine produces very fine ice, so the plastic could not have come from the ice cubes. She added that the box containing the durian paste was not damaged either.

"We later checked the durian paste in all our outlets and did not find any issues. The durian paste processing process in the central kitchen does not involve any plastic."

Ms Zhu also explained that the paste was provided by a supplier, and that the company is in touch with them.

She emphasised that food safety is the company's top priority, and they will investigate the situation.

Compensation amount declined

However, the company could not agree to the $16,000 in compensation that Ms Lin sought.

Ms Zhu said that the store employee actively cooperated with the customer's demands, filtering the durian paste upon her request.

She explained that the company was willing to take responsibility and bear the medical expenses, but the sum requested was unacceptable.

"They didn't provide any medical reports, but each sought $8,000 in compensation, totalling $16,000."

Compensation was offered

When asked about the compensation request, Ms Lin said that the store did take the initiative to offer compensation.

"They proposed to settle it privately, but rejected the amount I proposed, so it's obvious that they're not sincere."

She said that she felt fine after the incident, but was worried about the harm ingesting plastic might cause.

"If surgery or gastroscopy is required, it's not going to be a small sum."

A spokesperson for the Singapore Food Agency said that food safety is the responsibility of businesses and suppliers. Regulations are set by the authorities and food operators must adhere to them.

The spokesperson added that the public can provide feedback at www.sfa.gov.sg/feedback when in doubt about the food safety standards of operators.