Taiwan Railway apologizes for bento box cockroach

Taipei, June 17 (CNA) Taiwan Railway Corp. has issued a public apology after a passenger found a cockroach in a bento box, pledging to cooperate with a follow-up investigation and improve hygiene standards.

The incident was made public Monday by a Threads user identified as Thomas Lai (賴柏宇), who posted three photos of his railway bento box showing a cockroach lying next to the rice.

According to Lai, the bento box was purchased at the High Speed Rail's Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung. In the same post, he criticized the company for failing to deliver quality service in both its bento offerings and railway operations.

The state-owned company said Tuesday it had contacted Lai and that company officials would visit him in person to offer a formal apology.

Meanwhile, the Kaohsiung Department of Health said it dispatched personnel to inspect the bento store and the facility where the lunch boxes were made.

No traces of cockroaches were found, the department said, adding that it has taken a random sample of the same type of bento box for further testing.