SINGAPORE: The Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the statutory board that oversees food safety and security, announced on Feb 21 (Friday) that six food and beverage establishments have been suspended across the city-state because of violations connected to cleanliness.
The six eateries are as follows: 27A Coffee Shop, the food Shop at 517 Geylang Road; 7 STARS, the coffee shop at Blk 312A Sumang Link #01-05 Punggol Parcvista; Teck Seng, the coffee shop at 588F Balestier Road; Teck Wah, the coffee shop at 8 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh #01-275; 1002 Food Court, the coffee shop at 1002 Toa Payoh Industrial Park #01-1407; and Al Mubin Restaurant, the coffee shop at 92 Syed Alwi Road.
They all have violations related to the failure to keep their toilets clean and in good repair and were suspended for one day on Feb 21.
Here is the breakdown of the demerit points each of the establishments received from the SFA:
27A Coffee Shop, 7 STARS, and Teck Wah received 12 demerit points over a 12-month period for the failure to keep their toilets clean and in good repair and were fined a total of $1,300.
1002 Food Court received 14 demerit points over a 12-month period for the failure to keep their toilets clean and in good repair and was fined a total of $1,200.
Teck Seng received 12 demerit points over a 12-month period, eight for the failure to keep their toilets clean and in good repair, and four for the failure to maintain sanitary fittings in good working condition and repair. It was fined a total of $1,100.
Al Mubin Restaurant received 12 demerit points over a 12-month period: four for the failure to keep their toilets clean and in good repair and eight for the failure to maintain sanitary fittings in good working condition and repair. It was fined a total of $1,100.
A recent study from Singapore Management University (SMU) showed that restrooms found at coffee shops are the dirtiest across Singapore. Earlier this month, a report in The Straits Times showed an evaluation of 2,600 toilets across different public venues, with those in coffee shops receiving the lowest score, 46.26 out of 100. This is how other public toilets fared: hawker centres 66.28, MRT stations 75.97, and shopping malls 77.01.
ST pointed out that despite penalties imposed for lapses in cleanliness, the SMU study shows that the overall situation has not improved. The score that restrooms at coffee shops received has been the same across all the years the study has been conducted: 2016, 2020, 2023, and 2024. /TISG
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