S’pore agency: Metal screw in snack may be isolated case

SINGAPORE: A recent incident in which a metal screw was found in a packet of Garrett popcorn bought at Raffles City could be an isolated case, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said.

Inspections by the authority found no lapses, the SFA said, following a complaint posted last Friday by Facebook user Adeline Toh on the matter.

Toh claimed that her husband discovered the metal screw while biting down on a big piece of the caramel popcorn.

He had initially thought it was an unpopped kernel.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, Garrett Popcorn said yesterday that an investigation it conducted did not reveal how the metal screw entered the packet.

A spokesman said: “Upon a thorough investigation, including review of our closed-circuit television and of all internal procedures, we could not find the source of any foreign objects in our Garrett popcorn.”

She added that Garrett Popcorn had communicated with Toh directly after learning of her concerns.

She said: “We adhere to our strictly enforced inspection protocol, and we value all of our customers’ input.

“For 70 years, Garrett Popcorn has held safety and food quality paramount.”

The SFA said it inspected both the Garrett Popcorn food outlet at Raffles City and the central kitchen which supplies the packets of popcorn.

“We have advised both the operators of the food outlet and the central kitchen to ensure proper food preparation practices and that there is no contamination of foreign matter in the food sold,” the authority added.