Man finds large cockroach in bowl of pork noodles but stall says cockroach is suspiciously intact

What would you do if you found a huge cockroach in your food?

Stomper Jereme shared with Stomp photos of the cockroach inside his bowl of noodles that he had bought from Tai Wah Pork Noodles at Holland Drive on July 28.

"It was my first time trying but I know that it is a famous stall from Hong Lim Complex," he said.

He had ordered his meal for takeaway to eat at home and only discovered the cockroach when he was halfway through his meal.

"Heng I never bite into it," he said.

He added that he did not manage to speak to the stall regarding the incident but reported the matter to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

When asked if he would go back, he said: "Um don't think so. Would you?

"Traumatised la.."

Tai Wah Pork Noodle told Stomp that they had conducted an internal investigation and shared a video to prove there were no insects or cockroaches during the cooking process.

They added that the cockroach seemed suspiciously intact despite the vigorous stirring involved in cooking their noodles.

They also said it was unlikely that their staff would not have noticed such a large cockroach while preparing the food.

The spokesman said an officer from the National Environment Agency (NEA) visited their stall on Aug 1 to conduct a cleanliness check which went without incident.

However, Jereme told Stomp that he never left his food unattended from when he ordered it. He immediately brought his meal home and ate it before discovering the cockroach.

In response to a Stomp query, an SFA spokesman said: "Food safety is a joint responsibility.

"While the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices.

"Members of the public who come across any potentially errant food operator should report to SFA via the online feedback form.

"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."