Durian Mooncake Mayhem: 23 Victims, 1 Hospital Bed, and a Big Apology
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Ministry of Health (MOH) have just rattled the kitchen table by announcing that 23 people suffered from nasty gut symptoms after munching on Mao Shan Wang durian snowskin mooncakes sold by Mdm Ling Bakery. The incident landed on the docket on the morning of Friday, October 1.
What’s the Scoop?
- Between the box and the bowl: The mooncakes came in eight‑piece packs, glued together with a $92 price tag on online marketplaces.
- Quick shutdown: SFA has told the bakery to stop selling the product and to pull back any cakes that have already made their way into homes.
- First aid: One brave soul got hospitalised but is now on the road to recovery; the rest managed to get out of the check‑up queue, self‑treated, or simply felt better on their own.
- Stay away: If you’ve bought a box, the safest bet is to keep those mooncakes sitting on the shelf—no pizza nights, no dessert parties.
- Medical advice? If you’re feeling a bit off after that durian hit, do yourself a favour and check in with a doctor.
- Five separate outbreaks: MOH and SFA are combing through five distinct gastroenteritis incidents linked to these 23 unfortunate folks.
- Origin check: The cakes were imported from Malaysia and got sold in various spots around town during the Mid‑Autumn Festival on Sept 21.
- Storage requirement: They were supposed to lurk at around -18°C—frozen and untroubled, not at room temperature.
Manufacturer’s Response
In a quick Facebook note, Mdm Ling Bakery axed their “food safety” stance into a note of apology. The post looked something like this:
- “We take responsibility for the food items that we import and have been in close liaison with our production partner on this matter,” the bakery said.
- “We treat matters relating to food safety standards very seriously and are cooperating with MOH’s and SFA’s investigations.” (Note: “MOH” was used instead of the usual lower‑case “moh.”)
- “Our management team has reached out to customers who need our assistance and will continue to do so to make sure that all is well”
Customers can drop a line at [email protected] or buzz the owner at 8468‑0201 for any confusion or immediate help.
Bottom Line
For the moment: no mooncake munching. If you’ve already got a box under your pillow or in your pantry, better keep it there. And if a stomach rumbled at you while consuming the durian‑y stuff, a quick call to your doc (or at least a Google search for symptoms) is wise.
We’ll keep an eye on the situation because, . . . who wouldn’t want to wrap up chocolate? No, I mean escaped from the kitchen. Stay safe and keep that stomach in check, folks!
