SINGAPORE - A family discovered what looked like a worm in a piece of chilled salmon fillet bought from a supermarket last Saturday (Jan 12).

Mr Lin, 56, who declined to provide his full name, told Lianhe Wanbao that his daughter had bought the salmon for the family's dinner on Jan 12 from the NTUC FairPrice outlet at Bedok Mall.

When she was preparing the salmon fillet, she found what seemed to be a live worm crawling out of the piece of fish. It appeared off-white in colour.

She said she felt disgusted by it and binned it immediately, and Mr Lin's wife found out only later when she questioned why the fish had been thrown away.

Mr Lin, an engineer, then took the packet with the fish fillet back to the FairPrice outlet, where he got a full refund for the product, which cost $12.80.

As part of FairPrice's investigations, it engaged an entomologist who found that the insect was the larva of a moth or butterfly, which feeds on fruits and vegetables.

A FairPrice spokesman said: "We are unable to conclusively ascertain how this insect was found on the salmon as claimed by the customer. Fruits and vegetables are also sold at a separate section at the supermarket in question."

She added that the company had offered an apology to the customer for the unpleasant experience.

"This appears to be an isolated incident as checks on existing stocks did not reveal any anomalies and we have not received any similar feedback recently concerning the product in question," said the spokesman.

"NTUC FairPrice is committed to upholding a high level of food safety standards and the farmed salmon products we offer comply with internationally recognised food regulations and standards."

Customers who find the quality of its fresh produce unsàtisfactory can return the product to the same store with their receipt for a full refund or exchange, she said.