SFA taking action against Beauty World stall that has expired rice, maskless staff and scathing replies

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is taking enforcement action against a hawker stall at Beauty World Food Centre for food safety lapses following a Stomper's feedback.

Stomper Woon had been having dinner at the fourth-floor hawker centre on the evening of April 26 when staff at Indian food stall DHABA1376 caught her attention.

Sharing her concerns and observations with Stomp, Woon recounted: "I saw the stall-holder of #04-64 scooping some rice grains from a bag placed on a seat and to my horror, realised that the rice had already passed its expiry date as indicated on the packaging.

"Do the authorities conduct regular checks to ensure raw ingredients that are cooked by hawkers are safe and not passed their expiry?"

A photo taken by Woon shows a bag of rice with a best before date of December 2022.

Woon said: "The staff were also not wearing spit guards or masks while preparing and handling food inside the stall.

The Stomper also noted that the same stall had been in the news less than two months ago in March for hanging grilled meat in an unhygienic manner.

She added: "I also Googled for reviews about the stall and realised there were several comments about it being 'unhygienic' and 'infested with roaches'.

Woon shared screenshots of negative Google reviews that called out DHABA1376's hygiene standards and the stall's scathing responses.

Woon, who subsequently reported the matter to SFA, told Stomp: "I did not raise my concerns with the staff as judging from the responses they gave to online reviews, it can get quite confrontational and aggressive.

"I feel disgusted by what I witnessed and believe it's not the first time there have been multiple hygiene violations and the stall is filthy."

In response to a Stomp query, SFA said it has inspected the premises and will be taking enforcement action against the operator for food safety lapses.

It added: "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 safety practices.

"Members of the public who come across any potentially errant food operator should report to SFA via the online feedback form. As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details. SFA will not hesitate to take enforcement action against errant food handlers if we have obtained sufficient evidence."

View more photos in the gallery.