Pasar Malam Blog

No ABC NO FOOD?
How many people buy food from Pasar Malam? Do you see blue prints of A, B, C at Pasar Malam? No, we don’t. The latest we heard is that NEA cannot possibly have these stalls given grading because of their short duration at these ‘mobile’ site (Pasar Malam). But surely, they can always target on the people and not the stall — have the person, the main stall vendor to attend classes, pass their exam before they can have license to sell at Pasar Malam (just an example of a suggestion). There are just so many solutions and so many factors to consider when examining the hygiene of the public.

You Can Rely On Me
Can you judge a stall just by those lettering? For years I have been staying in Woodlands. For years, I had seen the same grading at my neighbourhood food stalls and the ones at shopping centres. They have never been changed. Neither was the food really hygienic despite the grading. If I have to rely on these grading, or if I relied entirely on these grading, I would have food-poisoned myself long ago and not only one time, but at least a few times.

Lets take a look at what some people have to say about the grading or rating system of NEA:

ABC’s and hawker stalls
FOOD stall operators are given cleanliness grades by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to help customers make an informed choice.

11 April 2009

But if the stalls don’t display the grades, how can customers know about the cleanliness level?

Does it mean that stalls that are ungraded are more inferior to stalls that are graded?Does it mean that stalls that are graded A is definitely better than B, and B definitely better than C?Does it mean that you cannot buy food or you are not going to buy any food knowing that there aren’t any rating done to the stall?

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.

I just went to Kou Fu at Toa Payoh yesterday. That was not the first time I ate at Toa Payoh Kou Fu. I did not see any grading or ABC at Kou Fu all these while. And since yesterday I was writing about all these rating matters, while I was eating food at Kou Fu, I looked around me (all the stalls). There were no rating, no ABC, no certificate of commendation also at any of the stalls. Richard said they had kept it. But why not displayed if they have? If they had kept it, it would be around the premises, but we could not see any either. What is really happening if this is really said to be COMPULSORY?

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.
I thought NEA had regular checkups on these stalls.

As quoted: The SRP is a systematic process that enables the foodcourt operators to sustain their excellence in food hygiene. It comprises of regular audits carried out by the foodcourt supervisors and uses a self-check system to help stall operators keep track of their operational performance. Food stalls are assessed on areas such as housekeeping, the cleanliness of the preparation area, pest infestation and food and personal hygiene. This system also advocates regular documentation and periodic reviews by the foodcourt management, which are complemented by inputs from NEA. In addition, each foodcourt is expected to have a professional cleaning team (preferably NSRS-trained) that maintains and ensures a clean and pest free environment.

Just how reliable are these information?

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.

Consistently GOOD?
How can all these happen if there are regular audits or checks done by NEA staff? Since 1997 until now, none of the stalls at Woodlands which I had patronized been changed of their rating. Is it possible? 1997 to 2009, all the rating remains either at A or at B for the stalls that I had patronized at Woodlands!
The grades are: A, B, C or D, with A being the best.

Reason For Motivation
If A is the best, there is no more room for improvement. Perhaps NEA should look into A STAR, the distinction, the ‘flying star’ that is going to stand out in time to come. How can there be NO CHANGES over the years from 1997 to 2009?? I cannot imagine that!
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.‘
That is why sometimes C is more hygienic than A. As mentioned in my previous post. Those with A, and always remain A, will be complacent and take advantage of the fact that they are “A” and can compromise on certain food quality that they provide.
With years of observation, you can never see a grade of A at hawker centre. If hawker centre can get B is consider very good already. For shopping centres, or air-conditioned premises, the norm for the stalls are always A. This is another question mark….
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’.
How can such thing happened? Shouldn’t they collect back the old certificate or had a date stamped on every blue printed grades? Even cars need to renew their license. Insurance agents need to renew theirs too. But these certificates are forever?
My curiosity was aroused yet again whether there are any date written on these certificates (or expiry date if any).
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.

-Darren Foong, Ervina Mohd Jamil, Naveen Kanagalingam, newsroom interns