Woman Allegedly Served With Almost-Raw & Pink Patty in Punggol McDonald’s Outlet

By
Shernice Sim
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Woman Raises Alarm After Allegedly Receiving Undercooked Burger Patty at Punggol McDonald’s Outlet

From the twitching rat at Tangs Market to a cockroach in ramen, we now have the third horseman of the Singapore foodies’ apocalypse.

On December 4, 2023, a woman shared her unpleasant experience on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page, recounting an incident at a McDonald’s branch at Punggol 21 Community Club.

After a few bites of her takeaway cheeseburger, she noticed something amiss, describing the meat as “cold and mushy”.

Upon opening the burger patty with a metal fork, she was shocked to find a pink, almost raw substance resembling minced meat.

“How to eat like that?” she lamented in the post.

Netizens immediately flooded her comments expressing their disgust on the matter.

Image: Facebook (Complaint Singapore)

“And the staff who prepared the burger couldn’t even tell? Report them!” said one Facebook user.

“May I know which outlet? It’s unacceptable!” another said.

Some comments angrily echo similar sentiments that the quality of food in Singapore has diminished despite rising prices, while others advised the woman to monitor her health after consuming raw meat.

Not McDonald’s First Strike

This is unfortunately not the first time McDonald’s have received complaints about serving undercooked food.

In June 2023, a customer of a McDonald’s outlet in Yishun had also discovered that his Double Quarter Pounder burger patties were pink and raw.

It allegedly due to the wrong grill settings.

Another netizen had stepped forward to share his own experience as well, showing his own raw Quarter Pounder that he received through food delivery app GrabFood in March.

McDonald’s Response

The woman revealed in the same Facebook post that she had already filed a complaint with the manager of that McDonald’s outlet.

To which, the manager promptly offered a full refund and a replacement burger.

Feeling too disgusted to eat at that point, the woman refused the latter offer.

The manager also assured full coverage of medical bills “should (she) get food poisoning from this incident”.

When questioned by the media, a McDonald’s spokesperson affirmed its commitment to high food safety standards and reinforced adherence to operational and cooking procedures.

“We’re truly sorry about our customer’s experience and have reached out directly to make good on the matter,” they said.

SFA Speaks Up on the Matter

The woman also brought up the incident to the Singapore Food Association (SFA), expressing concern for other customers who may have unknowingly consumed burgers from the same batch, risking food poisoning.

An SFA spokesperson said they are thoroughly investigating this incident.

“Food safety is a joint responsibility. While SFA puts in place and enforces regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices…”

SFA re-emphasized that they take food safety very seriously and will investigate all feedback regarding poor food safety practices.

In the meantime, the woman swore never to patronize that McDonald’s outlet again.

While beef products like steaks can be consumed rare, medium-rare or medium, it is generally unsafe to consume undercooked beef, particularly ground beef, as it may contain harmful bacteria, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Lee-Ann Jaykus, a food science professor at North Carolina State University, told Time Magazine that packaged ground beef, sourced from multiple cows, increases the likelihood of contamination.

A single contaminated animal could impact numerous batches, leading Jaykus to advise against consuming hamburgers that are rare or red in the center.

You know what? Maybe veganism isn’t looking too bad at this point.

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Shernice Sim