Two ministers, two approaches

FOOD STALL HYGIENE

Benchmark idea for hospital canteens ‘helpful’, but won’t work for hawker stalls: Yaacob

Leong Wee Keat, weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg

WHILE he welcomes the Health Minister’s firm stance that food stalls at public hospitals must score an “A” or “B” on cleanliness, that is Mr Khaw Boon Wan’s “prerogative”, says Minister for Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim, who rules out tying hawker stall tenders to hygiene grades.

“If we just penalise them just because they are (graded) Cs and Ds, there may be other implications,” said Dr Yaacob yesterday. “I think some hawkers have already mentioned ... that this may affect their livelihood. So, rather than make it a legal requirement, we work with them ... On the part of NEA (National Environment Agency), we will continue to work with the hawkers and hawkers’ association to improve their hygiene standards.”

He also called on consumers to send a signal by choosing a B-graded stall over one graded C.

On Sunday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan suggested linking the renewal of stall tenders at hospitals to their hygiene ratings, with those not meeting the mark told to close shop.

While there is clear consensus that cleanliness standards need to be improved, why such divergent approaches from two ministers?

There is “no right or wrong” in either approach, said Madam Halimah Yacob who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Health.

In hospitals, the public expect the “highest standard of hygiene possible” and if mass food poisoning were to occur, “the psychological impact would be far greater”, she felt. Pointing out that hospital food stalls see a different clientele, Mdm Halimah added: “Besides visitors, customers could also be patients waiting to see a doctor.”

Her counterpart helming the GPC for Environment, Mr Charles Chong, pointed out that while food stalls in hospitals could be purpose-built, hawker centres on the other hand come in a wide range — including makeshift temporary ones.

“Some are old, some are new. If they impose a minimum standard straight away ... there will be an uproar from the hawkers who may complain that they have been subjectively graded,” he said.

Numbers could also make a difference: While there are just six restructured hospitals, there are 106 hawker centres across the island with 5,600 stalls.

-----

No hygiene rating for night markets

Pasar malams will not be given a hygiene rating — in spite of the fact that more food stall operators at such night markets were booked last year for hygiene lapses — but that does not mean they are not scrutinised, said Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.

Pasar malams “operate on a very short basis” and by the time the grading is done, the markets are over. “The most important thing is to make sure we check. So, don’t be under the impression that pasar malams are not being supervised ... Our inspectors are down on the ground to supervise,” the Minister said.

There are also licensing requirements, such as that food must be prepared beforehand, with only heating up or frying allowed. Last year, 45 enforcement tickets were issued, up from 31 in 2007 and 23 in 2006.

ONG DAI LIN

-----

Since 2001, 72 centres have been upgraded with the remaining 30 or so to be madeover by 2012. And Dr Yaacob is confident this would help significantly to raise standards. After all, he revealed, 99 per cent of the stall holders who have benefitted from the Hawker Centre Upgrading Programme, have achieved “A” or “B” grades.

“This shows that as we begin to improve the ambience, design, layout and impose better cleaning practices, hawkers can do a good job in terms of improving hygiene standards,” he said.

The 12-year-old hygiene grading system assesses food hawkers based on cleanliness, housekeeping and food and personal hygiene. Last year, more than 85 per cent of stalls scored an “A” or “B”.

The weak chink in the armour: The four temporary markets currently, where more than nine in 10 stalls have “C” grades. Inspections of such markets have been stepped up, Dr Yaacob said.

Mr Chong hopes more can be done. He got the sense, after speaking to some hawkers, that many are not clear on how grading is conducted. The authorities could also think of ways — such as rental rebates — to reward hawkers who move from a “C” to an “A” grade, he said.

From TODAY, News – Thursday, 23-April-2009

Flies in foodstall: Action taken by NEA

This is leadership in action…

-----

Letter from S Satish Appoo

Director, Environmental Health Department, National Environment Agency (NEA)

We refer to the letter “Flies make home in our eateries” (April 10).

Our investigations confirmed the presence of flies in the refreshment area of the foodshop at Sembawang Drive. The foodshop management has mobilised its pest control operator to locate and eradicate the fly-breeding sources. Our field officers have also extended their checks to the surrounding areas. The foodshop operator will face enforcement action should breeding be found in his premises.

During our inspection, food for sale was found to be properly covered. We have reminded the operator of his responsibility to ensure that crockery and cutlery are properly covered, and refuse properly bagged and disposed of.

We thank your reader for the feedback.

From WEEKEND TODAY, Voices – 18, 19-April-2009

‘We will be more vigilant’

NEA ON HAWKER CENTRE HYGIENE

Letter from Andrew Tan

Chief Executive Officer, National Environment Agency

I THANK all letter-writers and journalists of Today who have commented on the importance of maintaining high standards of public hygiene in our hawker centres following the severe incident of food poisoning traced to a stall at the Geylang Serai Temporary Market.

We at NEA are deeply saddened by this episode that is linked to more than 150 people falling ill, many acutely, with two losing their lives. Our hearts are with the affected people and the grieving families to whom we have extended our deepest condolences. The outpouring of concern rightfully shows the widespread sympathy we share for them as well as the high standards expected of our markets and food centres.

Maintaining Hygiene Standards

NEA has the overall responsibility for ensuring high standards of public health and hygiene in Singapore. We would like to assure the public that NEA will strive to uphold these high standards.

The current system for upholding public hygiene comprising legislation, surveillance, enforcement and public education has served us well. The number of food poisoning cases in Singapore is very low. Over the last three years, there has been an average of only four food poisoning incidents a year, even though we have 5,600 hawker stalls across 106 hawker centres.

Grading of Stalls

The grading scheme, introduced in 1997, was intended to motivate licensees to improve on their personal and food hygiene and upkeep of their premises. All stalls that are graded and allowed to operate meet the basic hygiene requirements. The grading scheme sought to differentiate and recognise those who made greater efforts to improve and sustain the cleanliness and hygiene of their operations. By making the grades public, it was hoped that consumers’ choice could also lend pressure to encourage hawkers to strive for higher standards.

NEA, on its part, also actively worked with stallholders to encourage them to improve, by paying more attention to those with lower grades. NEA facilitates upgrading courses so that food handlers gain the knowledge to raise standards.

Food stalls in hawker centres that are graded A and B are inspected every eight weeks, while stalls graded C and D are inspected more frequently — every six weeks. NEA uses a point demerit system to penalise foodhandlers for any lapses in maintaining good personal and food hygiene. When a food handler accumulates 12 demerit points in a year, his licence will be suspended for two weeks. This is how NEA keeps unhygienic stalls from operating.

This regime has led to a significant improvement in food hygiene levels in Singapore. Over the years, the proportion of Grade A and B stalls has increased from 46 per cent in 2002 to 86 per cent last year. The remaining 14 per cent of stalls are graded C and they meet hygiene requirements.

The grading and point demerit system, together with a regime of regular inspections, have helped to keep food poisoning incidence low. Notwithstanding, food poisoning incidents can occur in any food establishment, regardless of its grading, if there are lapses in personal hygiene.

Overall hygiene standards at hawker centres have also improved through the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme. Since 2001, a total of 72 centres have been upgraded with better facilities and toilets, among other improvements. The remaining 30 or so centres will be upgraded by 2012.

Cleanliness of Geylang Serai Temporary Market

When markets and hawker centres are being upgraded, grassroot organisations and their advisers can choose to have a temporary market which is not provided for under the government’s Hawker Centre Upgrading Programme (HUP). If so, they also carry the responsibility of keeping the temporary market clean to meet NEA standards. However, NEA will intervene if it assesses the need to do so in the interest of public health.

In the case of Geylang Serai Market, the Kampong Ubi CCC decided to build and manage the temporary market. Despite the best of efforts put in by the Temporary Market Management Committee in implementing its cleaning regime and in tackling the rat infestation problem, the problem persisted. NEA should have moved in firmly earlier to address this problem. Sustained efforts with NEA’s assistance and enforcement have now led to a marked improvement. NEA will continue to require the Management Committee to sustain ongoing cleaning and pest control efforts.

Greater Vigilance

Going forward, NEA will step up its vigilance and enforce higher standards of public hygiene on all food outlets. NEA will also conduct more refresher training on food and personal hygiene for stallholders and food handlers. We will further tighten up our own procedures to ensure the timely issuing and display of up-to-date grading labels.

To impress on the need for good hygiene practices by all and enhance understanding of the overall system, NEA will step up engagement of market managements and operators of food establishments, Public awareness efforts so as to also involve consumers in maintaining high levels of public hygiene at all times are also being looked into.

NEA will further improve on the current system, taking into account the useful feedback and suggestions thus far. We thank everyone for the valuable feedback and suggestions. We continue to welcome views at contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg and 1800-CALL-NEA (1800-2255 632).

From WEEKEND TODAY, Voices – 18, 19-April-2009

Longer checklist for NEA

FOOD OUTLET HYGIENE

Teo Xuanwei, xuanwei@mediacorp.com.sg

AS THE dust settles on the worst case yet of mass food poisoning here, the gatekeeper of public health and hygiene in Singapore has vowed to act more vigilantly and firmly, to enforce higher hygiene standards.

Specifically, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will tighten its grip on committees managing temporary markets — intervening directly to correct lapses, when necessary, as opposed to playing an advisory role previously.

To dispel possible confusion in the stall-grading scheme, changes to processes will be “implemented straight away” — with decals to be issued immediately after assessments, for example.

While stressing that the existing grading scheme has “served us well for many years” and is set to stay, NEA director-general for public health Khoo Seow Poh said on Friday that linking rental rates to a stall’s grade — as mooted in a recent Today commentary — was an option to consider carefully. It could, he noted, be logistically difficult for private operators of food-premises.

-----

Measures ahead

• Decals to be issued immediately after grading assessment
• NEA will intervene to correct lapses, e.g. order a shut-down for cleaning
• Management committees must meet strict requirements (e.g. pest control arrangements) before temporary markets can be built

-----

Hygiene and cleanliness standards in food outlets have improved over the years, said Mr Khoo, and food poisoning cases here have been relatively rare — and never as serious as the April 6 Geylang Serai Temporary Market Indian rojak debacle that claimed two lives and caused over 150 to fall ill.

Nevertheless, he noted that no matter what grade a stall has, it just takes “one or two chaps to be careless” to lead to disaster. “One incident is one too many, so we will continue to do our best,” Mr Khoo promised.

Going forward, NEA will intervene in management committees if they are unable to clean up their act.

For instance, it will order operations to cease so that the temporary market can get a thorough scrub-down, or bring in its own pest control team if the committee fails to keep vermin infestation under control. Before construction begins on temporary markets, the agency will also “set down strict requirements upfront”.

The management committees will have to state clearly the market’s cleaning regimes and pest control arrangements, among other things.

Hawkers receiving their grade decals long after assessment will also be a thing of the past. NEA officers will issue temporary decals instantly after grading; a permanent one will follow later.

Stallholders will also have to hand over their old decals and enforcement officers going on rounds will ensure displayed decals match those in their records.

This change springs from the discovery that some Geylang Serai hawkers had received their updated decals only four months after their last evaluation in December.

Refresher courses on food and personal hygiene will also be held for hawkers, said Mr Khoo. And as the public also plays an important role in maintaining hygiene standards, NEA will step up education efforts.

From WEEKEND TODAY, News – 18, 19-April-2009

Singapore's shame

I think this goes also to the leadership issue... responsibility and accountability...

-----

Letter from Lucia Maes

HAVING once lived in Singapore, I’m disappointed at how the authorities have reacted to the Geylang Serai food poisoning cases that culminated in a couple of deaths and a miscarriage.

Although it was stallholder Sheik Allaudin’s poor food preparation practices that led to the tragedy, the food poisoning was really just the tip of the iceberg. What it had actually unearthed was the negligence of the governing authorities. The food grading decals were distributed only four months after the grades were revised. And Mr Sheik’s poor food preparation skills merely uncovered the chronic problem of the presence of rats.

The views on Singapore held by the international community may be similar to how they view China — as unhygienic and unreliable.

From TODAY, Voices – Friday, 17-April-2009

‘What about the lack of hygiene?’

Letter from M Lukshumayeh

MR SHEIK Allaudin Mohideen has had his licence suspended and will be charged in court. With that, an individual has been held accountable for the food poisoning outbreak at Geylang Serai. What about the rat infestation and the lack of hygiene and cleanliness?

Should not the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the market’s management committee (MC) be held accountable? Surely it must be obvious that if NEA or the MC had undertaken their duties diligently, such a tragedy might not have happened?

It has always been said that not only must justice be done, it must also be seen to be done. In this instance, it makes one wonder if there is true accountability.

From TODAY, Voices – Thursday, 16-April-2009