A Hong Kong customer was left horrified after what appeared to be a newborn rat was found wriggling inside the sauce of a beef satay takeaway.
Footage shared online shows the pink, hairless creature moving its arms and legs beside spaghetti in a pale brown sauce.
The HK$48 (about RM25) takeaway set was supposed to contain beef satay rice noodles, a ham omelette and a drink. Instead, the customer claimed she discovered the suspected baby rat after opening the styrofoam container.
The customer reportedly filmed the discovery and lodged a complaint with Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department on Monday.
Officials subsequently seized the food for examination as part of an investigation into how the suspected rat ended up inside the takeaway.
A spokesperson for the health department said the restaurant was also inspected and found to have “unsatisfactory hygiene conditions”. The establishment was ordered to make immediate improvements and reportedly underwent a deep clean the following day.
The restaurant owner, who was shocked by the incident, declined to speculate on whether the suspected contamination could have been a prank.
The Wa Jer Restaurant on Wah Sing Street has been operating for just over a year. The owner said the premises had not previously experienced vermin problems, although he acknowledged that rodents are common in the city.
He also claimed the restaurant undergoes deep cleaning every month.
However, authorities stressed that it was too early to determine exactly how or when the suspected baby rat entered the food.
“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,” the spokesperson 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 Food and Environmental Hygiene Department’s investigation remains ongoing.
