Nauseating video shows a newborn rat squirming around a woman’s lunch from a restaurant in China — which is now being investigated by local health authorities.
The pink, hairless, alien-like creature, whose eyes were still not fully opened, could be seen wiggling its little arms and legs and seemingly struggling to breathe inside of a takeaway container from the Wa Jer
Restaurant, the repulsive footage shows.
A customer in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong ordered a HK$48 satay beef pasta yesterday — and found a newborn pink mouse wriggling in the sauce. Local Food & Environmental Hygiene Department is now on-site investigating. pic.twitter.com/cx9LoF5GR2
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) September 8, 2026
The customer ordered the $5.40 beef rice noodle meal on Monday, and after seeing the baby rat writhing in her satay sauce, immediately filed a complaint with the local Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the South China Morning Post reported.
The woman shared video of the tainted meal online, which quickly went viral as people are demanding answers as to how something so gross could wind up inside of a food container and served unnoticed.
A health department spokesman told the paper it promptly seized the food for testing. After reviewing the restaurant premises, officials found hygiene conditions unsatisfactory.
“Regarding the suspected discovery of a baby rat in takeaway food, the department is conducting an investigation covering various aspects including food preparation, packaging, storage, and delivery,” the spokesperson said.
“At this stage, it is inappropriate to jump to conclusions as to when and how the baby rat got into the food based solely on online video clips or the finding of a suspected baby rat in the food.”
The restaurant’s operator, who was not identified, said he was shocked by the incident, but declined to say whether he thought it was some kind of sick prank.
Wa Jer Restaurant, located in the Wah Sing Industrial Building on Wah Sing Street, had been operating for just over a year and has not had issues with vermin in their food before, he said.
He acknowledged that there are occasionally rodents in that part of the city, but claimed the shop undergoes deep cleaning monthly.
The restaurant shut down on Tuesday to be cleaned and disinfected again.
