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The internet might have polished up a lovable fruit bat that recently stole a banana, but two pigeons that participated in a bird game at a ‘cai png’ (cheap rice) stand in Geylang were not so well received.
After images of pigeons pecking at food from the stall caused a stir online, an employee clarified today (October 21) that they adhere to strict hygiene rules and have thrown away the affected food, Lianhe Zaobao reported.
The 20-second clip, first posted on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page on Tuesday (October 20), showed two birds serving dishes on display at the Yong Li Eating House booth.
Even a bird landed directly on the food.
It was only after the person behind the camera approached and chased them away that the birds took off.
https://www.facebook.com/allsgstuff/posts/3442045575936147
The clip, which quickly spread online, raised concerns online about possible hygiene failures.
One commenter wrote: “Not entirely the supplier’s fault, but they need to prevent this kind of contamination [sic]. “
Another expressed concern about the possibility of “additional toppings” on food in the form of bird droppings.
Speaking to the Chinese newspaper, an employee at the stall confirmed that the incident took place on Monday (October 19) at around 4 p.m.
He was the only one on duty at the time and didn’t see the birds because he was busy washing some items in the sink at the back of the stall, he explained.
“When I came back after finishing washing, a customer told me that the pigeons had flown to eat our food.”
According to the employee, he immediately threw out all the food and cooked a new batch of dishes.
The stand had previously taken precautions, such as using plastic to cover its food, as the cafeteria receives frequent visits from pigeons. But this is the first time the birds have entered the stall to steal food, he noted.
“All cafeteria employees take hygiene very seriously. We have provided comments to the authorities on the pigeon problem and we hope they can resolve the matter quickly.”
AsiaOne has contacted the Singapore Food Agency for more information.
