Ratted out: Dead rodent found in vegetables bought from Giant outlet in IMM

When Lim Yiquan's wife bought vegetables from a Giant supermarket on May 15, she certainly didn't expect additional ingredients — especially not in the form of a dead rodent.

Three days after buying groceries from the Giant outlet in Jurong's IMM, Lim's wife decided to take her vegetables out of her refrigerator to cook.

To her disgust and horror, she found a dead rodent lying among the greens while she was washing them, dead and unmoving, Shin Min Daily News reported today.

Lim, 46, told Shin Min Daily News reporters that his wife felt sick when she saw the rodent among the vegetables.

"I was shocked when I saw it," Lim said. "It was really disgusting. Since the incident, my family hasn't dared to eat vegetables."

He said that he reached out to the supermarket chain after the incident, adding that he is apprehensive about patronising them now.

Lim has since received a response and some compensation from Giant but he wasn't satisfied, reported the Chinese daily.

He said that he had to throw out everything in his refrigerator, including 1kg of bird's nest that his friend gave him. 

This disgruntled consumer also posted a screenshot of the dead rodent and Giant's reply to his queries on Facebook, one saying that he would receive a full refund for the fresh and frozen food purchased on May 15, said Lim.

The supermarket chain also assured Lim that this was a singular incident and that they didn't receive any similar complaints from other customers, Shin Min Daily News reported.

DFI Retail Group told AsiaOne that that they "swiftly conducted an investigation" following the complaint. 

"The product in question is a pre-packaged and sealed item and we are currently working closely with our suppliers to identify the root cause," a spokesperson from the Retail Group explained.

The supermarket chain also said that they would inspect the same items being sold to ensure this matter wouldn't happen again.

"As an added precaution, we have stepped up our checks on our products to ensure that they are safe, fresh and of the high quality that our customers expect," the spokesperson told AsiaOne.

When contacted, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said they are also investigating this incident.

"Food safety is a joint responsibility," a SFA spokesperson asserted. "While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, retail food establishments must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices."

Should members of the public come across any potentially errant food establishments, they should report to SFA via their online feedback form (www.sfa.gov.sg/feedback), SFA said. 

There have been other incidents of dead rodents appearing in food bought from supermarkets.

In March 2019, House Brand basmati rice was pulled from both Sheng Siong and Cold Storage after a dead rat was found in a bag bought from Sheng Siong.

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