Hong Kong food safety authorities have prosecuted a restaurant after an investigation into claims that a newborn rat was found wriggling inside one of its takeaway lunchboxes uncovered unsatisfactory hygiene conditions.
The lunchbox came from Wa Jer Restaurant, located in the Wah Sing Industrial Building on Wah Sing Street.
A customer reportedly bought a HK$44 (US$5.60) set meal that included satay beef rice noodles, a ham omelette and a drink.
When opening the takeaway box, she discovered a live baby rat covered in satay sauce and moving among the noodles.
The customer uploaded the footage to a social media platform, where it quickly went viral and sparked heated online debate over the source of the creature.
The diner preserved the meal box intact and immediately filed a complaint with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
A department spokesman said it received the complaint on Monday, seized the food for testing and found hygiene conditions in parts of the premises to be unsatisfactory.
He added that the operator was prosecuted under the Food Business Regulation and ordered to make immediate improvements.
“Regarding the suspected discovery of a baby rat in takeaway food, the department is conducting an investigation covering various aspects including food preparation, packaging, storage, and delivery,” he said.
“At this stage, it is inappropriate to jump to conclusions as to when and how the baby rat got into the food based solely on online video clips or the finding of a suspected baby rat in the food.”
The department said it had invited the complainant to provide further information and make a formal statement, but the individual had declined.
The South China Morning Post has also contacted the customer but she declined to elaborate.
The restaurant’s operator told media he was baffled by the incident but did not want to speculate on whether it was a prank.
He explained that the business had been operating for just over a year and had never received complaints about rats or insects in takeaway meals.
He acknowledged that the restaurant was located in an industrial area where rodents occasionally appeared, and said monthly deep cleaning and disinfection had been carried out.
He stressed his wish to contact the customer directly to understand the situation and pledged to step up pest control.
The restaurant will close on Tuesday for a day of cleaning. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
