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More Than ABC
By Peace | April 22, 2009
How many times can you ‘cry wolf’?
I stayed in Woodlands since 1995/1996. Woodlands North Plaza is a place near our home, and thus a place which we often go for marketing/shopping and buying our meals there. Since 1997, the implementation of grading system, and even before that, we had been buying food from Woodlands North Plaza. At a start, we saw all the stalls were labelled ‘B’. There are two food court at Woodlands North Plaza — one air-conditioned (used to be) and one with no air-con. However, of recent years, both are no longer air-conditioned. The food sold at the air-conditioned food court is more expensive than the non air-con food court. But, even though there are no air-con now, both food court are still charging the same price — the air-conditioned food court is still charging the same price as before. Worst still, this year, they even increase their food price by about 30 cents now.
Woodlands North Plaza, Chicken Rice Stall
The chicken rice stall is the one which we often patronize. My children love it since they had been eating it since young. His business must be good, and until now, he did not raise his food price. It still remains at $2.50 per plate of chicken rice.
Never Been Changed for 12 years
Rating wise, all the stalls here have ‘B’ SINCE 1997, or ever since the blue print was pasted on the respective stalls. Until now, I have never seen any stalls improve from B to A or degrade from B to C.
Know Your ABC
It really does not matter any more over the years. This topic of grading system is like long forgotten, until recently the Indian Rojak case. Something is really amiss if you think of such grading system. Over the years, there seem to be ‘discrimination’ or perhaps ‘bias’ in this grading system. In shopping premises like Causeway Point, you will definitely see A (that goes without saying for major food restaurants). As for food court like this shown above, mostly you get straight B and hawker centres will be C (and if lucky, perhaps B). You can never see A at hawker centres.
Who To Trust?
If you are the customer, and you see all the stalls are graded B. How are you going to make a choice (in deciding which store is the best among all present?) Definitely we will decide base on our preference for the type of food that we want to eat for that time. We are not going to decide on the hygiene level since it is all B. And since it is just a B for all, meaning the hygiene level is good, ie 70-84%; and is not excellent. If you are a health conscious person, are you going to take the ‘risk’ or go around searching for ‘A’ which is excellent, more than 85%?
Many food stalls don’t display hygiene rating
Sat Apr 11 2009 The New Paper
Only some eight out of 10 of the stalls had displayed the grades – despite it being compulsory to do so.
IMAGE: Laksa Siglap is one of the stalls visited by The New Paper that did not display their grading signs.
Singapore, April 10, 2009 – FOOD stall operators are given cleanliness grades by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to help customers make an informed choice.
But if the stalls don’t display the grades, how can customers know about the cleanliness level?
The New Paper team visited 18 hawker centres and found that only some eight out of 10 of the stalls had displayed the grades – despite it being compulsory to do so.
But hawkers who did not put up the squarish grade had a host of reasons for not doing so: Lost it, left it at home, didn’t know they had to put it up.
The grading system was introduced by NEA in 1997 as a cleanliness guide for customers.
Madam T S Ang, a stall owner at Lau Pa Sat, pleaded ignorance.
‘I did not know that I had to display the grading. I heard that some other store owners weren’t putting it up either. So I decided to follow suit,’ she claimed.
Her stall is graded B.
Mr Ravi Suppramaniam, a stall owner at Yishun block 418, had another reason.
‘The grading was lost during store renovations which took place in 2007,’ he explained.
Over at Laksa Siglap, a stall in Geylang temporary market, a worker claimed: ‘We accidentally took the grading sign home while packing up the stall.’
Stalls are graded by the NEA on several criteria, including general housekeeping, cleanliness and food and personal hygiene.
The grades are: A, B, C or D, with A being the best.
Said Mr Chan Wai San, Director of the Hawkers Department at NEA: ‘All stores graded satisfy NEA’s requirements. If the stalls are graded a C or D, we will pay more attention to the stores, and our officers will visit them more often.’
In the recent food poisoning case involving an Indian Rojak stall at Geylang Serai, the stall had displayed a ‘B’ grade when it actually had a ‘C’.
A points demerit system is used in dealing with hawkers who commit public health offences.
Hawkers are awarded two, four or six points depending on the severity of their offence. If they accumulate 12 points within 12 months their license will be revoked or suspended.
No ABC
Yes, nowadays most stalls and even some food courts do not display the grading any more (is it compulsory??) It is confusing! So what if you have a B or A or even C? Customers can still see the way you handle food, the way you do things and get to taste your food. You can ‘cheat’ your customers how many times? Do you want to have long-term customers or just a ‘one-night stand’?
Master Your ABC
Some people just do not know how to think. Perhaps these food vendors should attend courses, training by NEA, rather than merely ‘grading them’ periodically. Singapore is such an advanced country but yet, when it comes to service (customer service), it really needs lots of improvement.
Written 24 April 2009
Topics: Money, Singapore, View All, health | 5 Comments »
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