Rat spotted at NTUC FairPrice outlet

Mr Sun took a video of the rat scurrying around the bread section at the FairPrice outlet in Hougang's Kang Kar Mall, as well as a photo of a loaf of bread that had been gnawed.
Mr Sun took a video of the rat scurrying around the bread section at the FairPrice outlet in Hougang's Kang Kar Mall, as well as a photo of a loaf of bread that had been gnawed. PHOTOS: FACEBOOK PAGE OF SUN YU MING
Mr Sun took a video of the rat scurrying around the bread section at the FairPrice outlet in Hougang's Kang Kar Mall, as well as a photo of a loaf of bread that had been gnawed.
Mr Sun took a video of the rat scurrying around the bread section at the FairPrice outlet in Hougang's Kang Kar Mall, as well as a photo of a loaf of bread that had been gnawed. PHOTOS: FACEBOOK PAGE OF SUN YU MING

A supermarket has told The Straits Times that it has caught a rat which was filmed scurrying around its bread section by a customer.

Facebook user Sun Yu Ming uploaded photos and a video of the rodent at the Kang Kar Mall FairPrice outlet in Hougang onto his page on Monday and Tuesday.

The 37-year-old delivery driver said: "I went there about three days ago and saw a rat near the bread. It was quite fat and it scuttled away."

He claimed that he told the manager about it, but he "didn't care".

However a spokesman for the chain said the rat seen in the video was caught last Saturday. She added that records showed pest control specialists visited the store four times in February, and several more time times in the following months.

"In May alone, they visited the store another five times," she said. "The store has also disposed of all products that may have been compromised by the pest and sanitised the area thoroughly."

Pest control measures at the outlet have been stepped up.

The minute-long video shows Mr Sun pulling out loaves of bread from a shelf before the rat scurries towards the vegetable section. He also posted photos showing bread packaging that had been gnawed.

The National Environment Agency's website says that food retail establishments found with hygiene lapses, including failure to keep licensed premises free from pest infestation, face a maximum fine of $2,000, and demerit points.

When The Straits Times went to the outlet yesterday, there was no sign of rats or any warnings about them. Customer Carol Lee, 64, a retiree, said she will not buy bread at the outlet for now, but added: "I may buy other things, like big items such as juice, because the packaging will protect them from rats."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 02, 2016, with the headline Rat spotted at NTUC FairPrice outlet. Subscribe