PETALING JAYA, April 13 ― A woman in Seremban had a nasty surprise when a cake she purchased from ZUS Coffee's Palm Mall outlet was filled with mold ― a fact she learnt after eating half the cake.
The woman, Diviya D, shared the incident on Twitter, saying that she was highly concerned as she lives with Crohn's disease and had just recovered from Covid-19.
Chron's disease is a condition where parts of the digestive tract become swollen and inflamed.
Official Statement - ZUS COFFEE ANNOUNCES OFF-BOARDING OF A PRODUCT & LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO FOOD SAFETY pic.twitter.com/ycptGGIDmm
— ZUS Coffee (@ZusCoffee) April 12, 2022
“On top of that my immunity is very low because I take medication for my disease. This puts me at very high risk of food poisoning,” added Diviya in her Twitter thread.
In a statement released yesterday, ZUS Coffee general manager Venon Tian announced that the product in question, the Soya Cincau Cake, has been recalled and off-boarded nationwide to prevent similar cases.
He outlined their plans to maintain food safety, including an investigation at the outlet involved; identifying potential gaps that may have contributed to the issue; as well as action plans for suppliers and vendors to improve their processes.
“We are deeply sorry to our dear customers and community for the disappointment caused.
“However we are grateful for the continued support from our community as a local home-grown brand and we promise to always do better,” added Tian.
The brand reached a settlement with Diviya, agreeing to compensate her with free drinks for a period of time, as well as medical compensation for any health issues that may arise from the incident.
While Diviya is satisfied by the outcome, she hopes food outlets will take quality control more seriously.
“You're handling food so you need to constantly ensure what you're serving is fresh or it may become a health hazard,” she told Malay Mail.
“You never know if you're serving someone with serious health issues. One wrong move and you could end up being responsible for someone falling ill or worse, death”.
