THE bread was not past its expiry date, but businessman L Guna claimed that he fell ill after eating four slices.

When the 50-year-old went to check the remaining slices, he saw green mould growing on them.

Mr Guna bought the loaf of Mighty White bread, which cost $1.50, from a provision shop in Serangoon Road on 9 Nov.

Mr Guna said the bread looked fine when he bought it. He said: 'The loaf had an expiry date but no issue date. The expiry date was 12 Nov.'

He ate four slices for breakfast at 10am the next day.

He said: 'The first four slices I ate looked fine.

Vomited

'Later that day, I had diarrhoea and vomited. I went to look at the loaf and saw the other slices had green mould growing all over them.'

Besides the bread, Mr Guna said he later ate some rice at a hawker's centre near his home that day.

Mr Guna, who lives alone, visited a doctor the same day and was told that he had food poisoning.

He said: 'When I told him about the bread, he asked me to take it with me on the next visit. The next day, I showed the loaf to the doctor, who said my food poisoning could have been caused by the bread.'

Mr Guna then called Delicate Food Enterprises (Delicate), the company that supplied the bread. 'Their boss, a Mr Phua, told me that the company was willing to take back the loaf and reimburse me for it,' he said.

Mr Guna said he asked Mr Phua why the bread did not have the date of manufacture, but got no answer.

He said: 'Mr Phua offered to pay my medical fees, compensate me for the bread I had bought and also add another $300 or $400. I checked with my lawyer, who said I should not give back the bread without first taking photographs of the loaf and getting a written note from Mr Phua.

'I then refused to return the bread and said the compensation was not enough.'

Mr Phua, who did not want to give his full name, said the loaf of bread Mr Guna consumed was manufactured by Mighty Bakery in Malaysia on 6 Nov, and sent from Johor Baru to Singapore.

The senior manager with Delicate added that the bakery was well-known in Malaysia and Mr Guna's case was its first complaint so far.

Mr Phua said he offered to compensate Mr Guna when he was told about the food poisoning.

He also asked Mr Guna where he put the loaf after he bought it.

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