SINGAPORE – An employee of a cleaning company who was seen dusting the display shelves at BreadTalk’s outlet in Eastpoint Mall with a broom has been dismissed after footage of the incident surfaced on social media.

A BreadTalk spokeswoman confirmed, in response to queries, that the local bakery and confectionery chain was aware of the incident that occurred at the outlet on Feb 9.

“We sincerely apologise and are taking this matter very seriously. The actions observed are unacceptable and do not reflect BreadTalk’s strict food safety and hygiene procedures,” she said.

The worker was employed by an external cleaning company engaged by BreadTalk, and the individual’s services has been terminated.

BreadTalk’s standard operating procedures require display shelves to be cleaned only with designated food-safe cloths and approved cleaning solutions.

The BreadTalk team has “conducted a thorough deep cleaning and disinfection of the store, and all products on display at the time were discarded as a precautionary measure,” said the spokeswoman.

The bakery has also “reinforced hygiene protocols with its cleaning partners” and will be conducting additional retraining for all cleaning staff to prevent a similar incident from occurring, she said.

In a video posted in the Complaint Singapore Facebook group on Feb 9, a worker is seen using a broom to sweep crumbs off display shelves and onto the floor at a BreadTalk outlet.

The video caption suggests that the incident occurred after the bakery’s operating hours.

The Straits Times has reached out to the Singapore Food Agency for comment.