This post was inspired by a recent case in Singapore, where a 24 year old executive, who wanted to be identified only as "Ms Tan" (her online nick is JT) reported receiving a putrid pack of curry sauce from the McDonald's outlet in Compass Point in the east of Singapore. According to her, the sauce was black, hardened and possibly rotting - worse, she saw maggots crawling over a part of the sauce. 

Originally posted in the local newspaper's forum, the information has been circulated widely over the internet and today was reported in the free newspaper "Today", despite McDonald's appeal against "irresponsible speculation, postings and circulation of emails and blog postings on this matter." The National Environment Agency and Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority have since been called in to investigate the Compass Point outlet but no more maggot-infested sauce packets were found. 

This led P to wonder about McDonalds and its food safety - this is not the first McD food nightmare in Singapore this month. On September the 8th, the STOMP forum reported rats falling from the false ceiling of the Tampines branch of McDonalds. Apparently the manager and staff caught and removed the rats and pasted black bin bags over the ceiling holes (pictured). Read the original post here.

Checking the company's global website reveals that they claim the highest standards for their food.

To wit: The bedrock of all our socially responsible supply efforts is our commitment to ensuring that all the foods and beverages we serve our customers are safe. We do business only with suppliers that share this commitment and work with them to continuously monitor, test, and track our ingredients. We have stringent standards and checks in place in critical areas throughout the food supply chain—from "fork to farm."

However, as an icon of globalization and the age of Megacorps, McD has always been a big fat target for critics and opponents, and food quality and safety has always been an easy angle of attack as it is close to everyone's heart. As a result, past food scandals have always made headlines. P recalls reading about the E Coli outbreak in Preston, UK that resulted from undercooked burgers (1991), and a similar lethal outbreak among English children (1 died) in 1996.

It has also been the target of many urban legends usually about the gut-twisting origins of its meat, from Worms, to Franken-cows to Cow eyeballs. Wikipedia has an entire entry about this if you have a slightly sick sense of humour. Of course the 2004 documentary "Supersize Me" put McDonald's food "safety" in an entirely new light. Even if it didn't make you sick immediately, what were the long-term effects?

P is waiting avidly for the next installment in the Singapore McD circus. She's not planning on a burger anytime soon 'though.