Maintaining Public Health

Burp!
Is your favourite stall A,B or C?

Chances are foodies can now be more confident of safer meals at Singapore’s many food courts and hawker centres that dot the island. Thanks to NEA’s stringent system of monitoring personal and food hygiene standards by food handlers, Singapore enjoys a low incidence of food-borne diseases. This is achieved through strict licensing, inspection and enforcement.

Environmental health officers from our five regional offices comb eateries in Singapore daily to ensure that all food sold is safe and food handlers observe the highest standards of personal and food hygiene.

The points demerit system helps to enforce hygiene standards. Food handlers who exceed 12 points within 12 months are suspended for up to 4 weeks.

This is reinforced by the grading system, started eight years ago, which appraises food outlets. NEA certificates with grades of A, B, and C are displayed at the stall for all customers to see.

In addition to cultivating buy-in by our food operators, NEA, in June 2005, began a 2-3 year exercise to move C graders to a minimum B grade at food outlets.