Hougang porridge stall closes after rats seen scampering about

A stall in a coffee shop has closed its doors after some uninvited guests found their way in.

In a video circulating online last week, several rats were seen scurrying inside the porridge stall at Block 23, Hougang Ave 3.

In the video, at least five rodents can be seen searching for food in the shop before stopping to nibble on what appears to be a large slab of meat.

A voice can be heard saying: "It's (the rats) eating the meat!"

According to Lianhe Zaobao reporters who visited the location on Nov 23, the stall was undergoing renovation. The stall's tiles were being replaced, and the signboard was taken down.

A man, who declined to be named, claimed that he was the "new owner" of the stall, adding that the stall had already been fined in the past.

Noting that it is not unusual for rats to be spotted at food stalls, he said: "I've seen the video, I think the reactions are quite exaggerated.

"The coffee shop regularly engages pest control, so I'm not worried that this will adversely affect business."

He added that the stall would reopen after renovations are completed, but was not sure if he would use the old signage.

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Same leopard, new spots?

A customer surnamed Wang, who told Zaobao he frequented this coffee shop for the past 13 years, said otherwise.

According to Wang, the "new owner" is in fact the previous owner of the porridge stall, and the other individual he was accompanied by is his stall manager.

"I used to eat at this stall almost every day, but after seeing the video, I lost my appetite and bought food from another stall," he said.

Wang also said that the video was likely taken at around 4am on Nov 20, after the supplier delivered ingredients to the stall.

Because the stall had yet to open and there were no sealed containers to place the ingredients, the supplier had left them outside, thus attracting the rodents.

Wang had arrived at 8am that day and saw rats entering the stall after it had opened for business, he said.

Other stallholders in the coffee shop said that they knew about the incident but declined to give further comment.

When Zaobao was at the coffee shop, a rat leapt out of the porridge stall and climbed onto the ceiling.

No evidence of rat harbourage: SFA

Responding to queries from Stomp, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said that preliminary investigations did not yield evidence of rat harbourage within the coffee shop.

"Nonetheless, SFA has instructed the licensee to enhance their pest control measures," SFA said. 

"This includes increasing the frequency of pest control treatments and sealing of potential entry points to prevent rodents from entering the premises.

"Additionally, the operator is required to maintain proper refuse management and storage practices to eliminate potential food sources for pests."

SFA also stated that they will continue to monitor the situation, reminding that 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."

AsiaOne has contacted SFA for more information.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com