Straight A’s Programme

Whether you are educated or not educated, one look at seeing ‘A’ is very impressive. Tell the old folks you have “A” for anything, and they are elated. Having “A” is like you are best of the best. And having someone to appraise you for that, that is even ‘no words can deny the fact that you are the best of the best’.

The Odd One Out
The “A” might have stand out if it is among the B and C. The B and C would have ‘motivation’ and would strive to improve on themselves to catch up with A if there is a combination of A, B and C in a certain premises. But what happen if you have all the stalls labelled as A and given Certificate of Commendation? It would really means perfect food if I had not experienced the ‘real meaning of A‘ (being attracted for the first time at Lotus Thai Viet).

Motivate Vendors??
It is said that the purpose of the rating system is to motivate licensees/ the stall vendors to improve and maintain their personal hygiene as well as food hygiene. As mentioned in the above example of having stalls with Straight ‘A’s and also certificate of commendation beside it, I see no reason why the stall vendors should be ‘motivated’. There is also the POSSIBLITY OF MISUSING and TAKING ADVANTAGE of such rating system if there is no constant RENEWAL (just take the case of the ‘Lion Head’ Award 2006) or strict-checking of such stalls. Customers are being mislead by such RECOMMENDATION. This is especially so for FIRST-TIME customers where First Impression counts so much! Any first-time customers would have been ‘misled’ by such ‘out-of-date’ rating system which does not seem to help the consumers at all.

Instead of improving themselves, these vendors are ‘making use’ of these special awards, to ‘cut cost’ and take things for granted. What we, the consumers get in the end is ‘lousy’ food.

Consistency
We do not know what are the criteria for rating these vendors. In addition, we do not know how well-trained are these people(NEA staff) when they are carrying out their duties. Other factors also include things like the vendor ‘putting up a show’ when NEA staff comes to check on them. And when no ‘food policemen’ are around, their normal food handling practices shown up again.

Certificate of Commendation Issued by National Environment Agency Singapore to Food Stall “In Recognition of Excellence In Cleanliness and Food Hygiene“.

Straight A’s Programme
Building upon this system, the NEA has since introduced the Straight A’s programme for school canteens and foodcourts. This programme sees the end of poor practices such as handling cooked food with bare hands, using chipped or cracked crockery, leaving cooked food exposed without proper cover, stacking of plates of food for sale and using uncovered refuse bins.

Taking the definition of Hygiene, and the meaning of Excellence award, The Rating System given to Food Stalls is questionable.

NEA officers began working in partnership with major food court companies in Sept 2002 to boost the food hygiene standard in their outlets through a self-regulation program (SRP). The main component of the SRP is an in-house food hygiene monitoring system that supplements the regular inspections carried out by NEA.

Sustainability through Self-Regulation
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.

Photo of a typical bowl taken at most Food Court: Straight As for these Food Stalls at Horizon Food Mall, Causeway Point. Did I see a chipped or cracked crockery here? But that is minor since it is at the side. The more important part is the accumulation of resistant ‘dirt’ on the bowl. How long has this bowl been used? All the concern is about making money, but what about replacing old bowls and worn-out crockery? Is this excellence HYGIENE?

• 1 Red Alert | Just Singapore ~ Apr 24, 2010 at 11:22 pm

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