SFA investigating after rat spotted at food stall in SIT's Punggol campus

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is currently investigating a case of rat infestation after a rodent was spotted at a food stall in the Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) campus in Punggol.

In a 16-second video posted on Reddit on Friday (Sept 26), a rat can be seen crawling around the cashier counter of a food stall. The stall, said to be located within the campus' Foodgle Hub food court, appeared to be closed at the time the video was taken. 

In response to queries from AsiaOne, the food court operator Foodgle stated that the incident had occurred at its Economy Rice stall on Sept 25 outside of opening hours. The company was alerted to the issue at around 10pm. 

Immediate action was taken, and the stall was disinfected at 6.30am the next day before operations resumed, said Foodgle.

"We sincerely apologise that this occurred on our premises and take full responsibility. Food safety and hygiene remain our top priority," it added.

The company also stated that measures such as increased pest control frequency, additional traps, and stepped-up internal inspections will be implemented.

Foodgle also noted that recent unannounced inspections, which are conducted regularly to ensure continued compliance, found the stall to be clean and in good order.

According to Foodgle, the food court building is "surrounded by lush vegetation and wildlife".

"We are fully aware of the need to counter these challenging environmental factors, and we have, since day one, implemented strict preventive pest control measures," it said. 

Rats sighted by stallholders

A male assistant from the economic rice stall, who wished to remain anonymous, told Shin Min Daily News that he had seen the video circulating online.

He shared that no food had been left out at the time of the incident.

The assistant explained that while the food court had only recently opened, the surrounding greenery at the university, combined with the large number of overhead pipes above the stall, might have attracted the rats. 

"Traces of rats have occasionally been spotted in other stalls. During the day, rats have also been seen crawling along the pipes on the ceiling," he said, adding that the situation worsens at night, when the rats enter the stalls directly in search of food.

The assistant mentioned that the staff are doing their best to prevent future occurrences by increasing disinfection and cleaning efforts. 

According to Shin Min Daily News, other vendors in the food court also admitted that rats have been sighted on occasion but acknowledged that it would be difficult to completely eliminate them. 

Case under investigation

In a statement released on Sept 30, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said that the case is currently under investigation. 

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

SFA added that food operators should also ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained. 

"SFA takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices. As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained," it said. 

The agency added that members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report them via the agency's online feedback form.

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com