A delivery worker was filmed picking up bread and pastries that had fallen onto the ground and placing them back onto trays for delivery, prompting concerns over food hygiene.
In response, Swee Heng Bakery said that any unpackaged food that may have been contaminated would be immediately destroyed.
The incident happened last Sunday (Jan 18) at about 7.50am at the loading and unloading area behind Admiralty Place.
A resident who lives nearby told Shin Min Daily News that he saw a Swee Heng delivery worker unloading multiple trays from the back of a lorry. While doing so, some of the trays tilted and fell over, causing several pastry boxes to scatter onto the ground.
A video of about two minutes shared with the paper shows the rear door of the delivery lorry left open, with the delivery worker sorting through boxes of pastries that had fallen onto the ground.
From the footage, the delivery worker was seen checking the fallen boxes and placing those that were not damaged back onto the trays. Pastries that were already broken were placed into another tray inside the vehicle.
After clearing up, the delivery worker pushed the stacked trays away, believed to be continuing with the delivery. Pastry remnants left on the ground later attracted several birds that came to peck at them.
The resident said the delivery worker was wearing the same pair of gloves while picking up the food from the ground, which raised concerns about food safety.
Delivery worker retrained
In response to queries from Shin Min Daily News, Swee Heng said it was aware of the incident and took the matter seriously.
A spokesperson said the company places great importance on food safety and hygiene, and has strict production and delivery processes to ensure all products meet standards before being sold.
The spokesperson added that any unpackaged food that may have been contaminated would be immediately returned to the company’s headquarters for destruction. Swee Heng has also reiterated proper food-handling procedures to all delivery workers and conducted internal retraining for the delivery worker involved to ensure staff adhere to strict hygiene standards.
