In a reddit post, a netizen who we believe is a student at the National University of Singapore (NUS) claimed that he or she had gotten food poisoning after consuming food from NUS Utown Finefood’s Japanese and Korean stall.
The netizen also further mentions that he or she was turned away by the food vendor after voicing out his or her concerns.
Here is what the post says
Dear fellow NUS students,
I want to share a food poisoning experience and being turned away by the food vendor unreasonably in NUS on the 31st of October, 2023, at the NUS Utown Finefood Japanese and Korean stall. The purpose of this post is to raise awareness about this issue and request your support and insights. I’m also looking for other victims who suffered from food poisoning from Finefood Japanese and Korean stalls. If there’s anything I can do to defend myself, please share it with me and it would be greatly appreciated.
Here’s what happened: On the evening of September 12th, at 7:23 pm, I ordered a Bibimbap rice dish from this stall. Unfortunately, within an hour, I experienced severe symptoms, including cold sweats, a pounding headache, dizziness, and a racing heart rate. The situation escalated, and by 8:45 pm, I found myself vomiting relentlessly. It’s crucial to note that during this time, I had consumed food exclusively from the Finefood stall.
This incident isn’t an isolated case. I firmly believe that the chicken dishes served at this establishment disregard basic sanitation principles. Not only does this pose health risks to customers, but it also wastes their time. I ended up enduring a distressing experience, spending over two hours in the restroom as I vomited repeatedly.
What’s even more concerning is that this is the second time I’ve suffered from food safety issues at this stall. Unfortunately, I’m not alone in this; two more individuals came to me within a month after I shared my experience on a forum, reporting their own foodborne illnesses after dining there. Many comments on my post indicated that more people have friends who experienced similar issues. It’s important to highlight that these incidents aren’t limited to these 2 or 3 students, I believe that there are more who suffered from the same stall.
Regrettably, the voices of affected individuals, including mine, have largely gone unheard. NUS provided everyone with a generic response, using the same template, and took no concrete actions to address the problem.
I understand that just a few cases happening here and there over a month can’t be judged as food poisoning, but I believe it at least indicates the food may not be hygienic. And what happened next is really triggering me.
The stall’s owner seems to be aware of my complaints and recognizes my face. When I walked into Finefood together with my friend, I went to place an order at some other stall and my friend wanted to get from the Korean stall. They then refused to offer food to my friend who is also a NUS student saying that I keep accusing their food for not being hygienic. No matter your food is clean or not, I complained or not, you should not have the right to refuse my friend from getting the food. Moreover, you are a food vendor operating in a school. They’ve then insensitively suggested that it’s my stomach that is the issue, rather than addressing food preparation concerns. The vendor even baselessly accused my friend of trying to fake a food poisoning incident. This behavior is not only unacceptable but also insulting, stereotyping, and humiliating.
I tried writing to the school and contacted the Finefood manager but they did not take my concerns seriously. I believe many of you realize that food hygiene is a problem in NUS. For our collective good, I genuinely seek your support and insights on this matter, hoping more can voice out together with me if you have suffered from this stall before.
These experiences have caused significant stress, anxiety, and even panic attacks. We’ve been treated rudely and unfairly, which isn’t the service standard we should expect, especially within the NUS community.
As NUS students, we invest a significant amount of money in our education, and it’s disheartening that we can’t choose our meals safely. NUS needs to take a more proactive role in protecting its students and addressing these concerns, as it seems the institution hasn’t taken adequate action despite multiple reports of similar incidents.
I encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences. Let’s work together to ensure the health and well-being of NUS students are a top priority. All the information I’ve shared in this post is factual, and I’m more than willing to provide further details such as the voice record of me being turned away. My sincere hope is that we can collectively raise awareness and push for a resolution.
