'It's really disgusting': Netizen finds mould and hairy inner layer in $82 box of Awfully Chocolate product

[Update April 29]

Responding to queries by AsiaOne, a spokesperson for Awfully Chocolate apologised for the mistake and said that they have contacted the customer on Thursday (April 27) and given the customer a full refund.

"We have been speaking with the customer every day since Thursday to check anyone who consumed them is feeling ok. The customer now understands why we had to ask for photos and samples on Thursday to investigate the products," the spokesperson said.

"We thank the customer for highlighting this issue to us and will work harder to improve our service and products!"

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Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

And this statement came true – literally – when a family found a "disgusting" surprise in the box of truffle chocolate that they had purchased from Awfully Chocolate.

In a post on Facebook group Complaint Singapore dated yesterday (April 28), the user, known as Chong Jinde, said that their parents had bought two sets of chocolate from the Raffles City outlet on April 24.

Three days later, the family opened one of the boxes to discover that the truffle chocolates were "mouldy" and that it was "hairy" in the inner layers of the snack.

Chong also said that their family had already consumed a few pieces prior to their discovery.

"It's really disgusting," Chong wrote in the post.

"We really liked stuff from Awfully Chocolate but I don’t know if I will purchase ever again," Chong concluded.

The Facebook user also said that they had written an email to Awfully Chocolate, but was met with "inconclusive replies".

In photos attached to the post, Chong also shared that the two boxes of chocolate cost up to $134 in total, with the box of affected truffle chocolates costing $82 alone.

Chong also showed that the "best before" date on the box was labelled as May 1, a week after the boxes of chocolate were purchased.

AsiaOne has reached out to Chong and Awfully Chocolate for more details.

In the comments section, netizens advised Chong to either ask for a refund or escalate the case to the relevant authorities.

Others pointed out that the "best before" date was a little too close to the consumption date, suggesting that that could have led to the unsatisfactory quality of the products.

According to Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the "best before" dates are for "food with longer shelf life such as cereals" which indicates how long the food will be at its best quality.

However, SFA also stated that food safety is not dependent on only the expiry date alone, and that products need to be stored and handled properly as well.

Worm on sashimi

Mould or a live parasitic worm – which would you rather see on your food?

Back in February, a woman, known as Jayice Tan, took to Facebook to advise others to check their food properly before eating after she and her husband found a live worm crawling on their raw piece of fish.

Tan shared that the couple had bought a kaisen don from Don Don Donki's 100am Mall outlet and were almost done consuming it when they noticed "something unusual on the raw fish".

In response to AsiaOne's queries, Don Don Donki said that as parasites naturally thrive in aquatic environments, it is "not uncommon to find these in wild-caught fresh fishes and seafood".

The Japanese chain shared that proper cold chain management are maintained and visual checks are conducted throughout the handling process at the supermarket.

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wongdaoen@asiaone.com

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