Customer finds cockroach in McDonald's burger, explains it couldn't have entered after food was bought

[UPDATE Dec 20, 6pm]

In response to a Stomp query, a McDonald's spokesperson said on Dec 19: "Upon being alerted of the incident, our quality assurance team took immediate action with further investigation from the relevant authorities like SFA and our pest control company including checking of our restaurant's CCTV.

"At McDonald's, we recognise high hygiene standards as an integral part of our business, and we take all feedback relating to the quality of our food very seriously.

"While there was no deviation or lapse in the safety of our food preparation process, we're sorry to hear about our customer's experience.

"We would like to clarify that following the investigation, we have reached out directly to the customer to share the findings and more importantly, extended our sincere offer to make good her experience."

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A woman was preparing to dig into her Filet-O-Fish burger, only to find that someone (or something) else had gotten to it before her: A live cockroach.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is looking into the matter, they told Stomp.

Stomp contributor FL said her boyfriend had gotten her the meal from McDonald's Funan Mall outlet on Dec 12, at around 6.56pm.

She recounted: "This was a takeaway meal. My boyfriend bought it and walked all the way to MBS to meet me. He carried the takeaway for about 30 minutes."

"At first, I opened the box slightly and saw a dark coloured thing inside. I thought my boyfriend had gotten a cheeseburger as the colour of what I thought was the beef was quite dark."

"Hence, I decided to check again. I opened the box properly and saw feelers moving and confirmed that it was a live cockroach!"

The Stomp contributor, who shared a video showing the insect with its feelers moving, said: "I waited for my boyfriend to come back from the toilet. He took a video and picture of the burger, then submitted a feedback survey to McDonald's on the spot."

FL said she has yet to hear back from the fast food chain.

And while she has ordered from this McDonald's outlet before, it is unlikely that she will ever do so again.

"I will never eat at this outlet again," FL added. "It is traumatising. It may be tough for me to eat McDonald's again."

"What are the odds of having a cockroach in my burger? Nevertheless, it is true that a cockroach was really found inside."

"We were so shocked and I lost my appetite that day. We were also wondering how a cockroach even ended up inside."

"Guess we will never know... We want McDonald's to check the CCTV."

FL does not believe the pest could have come from anywhere else, explaining: "My boyfriend did not leave the food on the floor and neither did I."

"He picked it up from the counter and walked 30 minutes to find me. He passed the bag to me and I went to find a place to sit. I decided to eat my burger. The box was fully closed when I held it in my hands. I opened it and saw the cockroach inside."

"I would also like to add that although the cockroach was still alive, we could see its feelers moving but it was not that active anymore. Maybe because it was trapped inside for 30 minutes."

"If let's say we did leave the burger at one corner, the cockroach could not have possibly snuck in too because judging from the size of it, it's way too big to even get in there. If it's small, then it might be possible."

In response to a Stomp query, SFA also said: "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."

"Food operators should also ensure that their premises are clean and well-maintained. Members of the public who come across any potentially errant food operator should report to SFA via its online feedback form."

SFA said it takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices.

It added: "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."

Stomp has contacted McDonald's for more info.

This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.

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