Pig hair in ‘kway chap’ at Jurong West hawker centre sparks complaint from customer

SINGAPORE: A recent visit to the hawker centre at 505 Jurong West Street 52 turned unpleasant for a customer when a piece of pork skin in the “kway chap” (a traditional Teochew dish) was discovered to be covered in hair.

The disgruntled diner promptly took a photo of the questionable ingredient and expressed their dissatisfaction online.

Upon investigation, a reporter from Shin Min reached out to Mr Lung, the owner of the kway chap stall. Having been in the food business for over two decades, the 52-year-old mentioned that he hasn’t received any previous complaints about hairy pork skin.

Mr Lung explained that, while it’s common for the pork skin supplied by vendors to have hair, his staff always ensures it is thoroughly cleaned.

Any piece of skin that can’t be sufficiently cleaned is disposed of. He added, “Sometimes, if the skin feels prickly or doesn’t look good, we won’t even use it.”

Addressing the incident, Mr Lung stated, “If such a situation genuinely occurred, it would be an isolated case. Customers should communicate their concerns directly to us. We are more than happy to replace the dish or provide a refund.”

Shin Min also sampled the stall’s kway chap, and their reporter didn’t find any hair in their portion.

The traditional method for removing hair from a hog or pig involves scalding the carcass in hot water and then scraping off the hair with scrapers.