The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) suspended the licenses of four restaurants for a single day due to unclean restrooms on Friday, March 28.
They were fined S$1,300 each for not keeping their toilets clean and in good shape, and they accrued 12 penalty points over the course of a year. These four restaurants, include Eng Huat Lee coffee shop at 138 Tampines Street 11, YS846 Eating House at 846 Yishun Ring Road and Kai Xiang Food Centre at 349 Jurong East Avenue 1.
Coffee & Tea, a coffee business located at 323 Bukit Batok Street 33, was fined $1,100 for neglecting to keep its toilet clean and in good repair, as well as for failing to keep its sanitary fixtures in good operating order.
Before they can return to their jobs as food handlers, all employees of the suspended establishments must retake and complete the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Food Safety Course Level 1.
Additionally, the licensee is also required to ensure that all food hygiene officers working in the suspended premises, if any, re-attend and pass the WSQ Food Safety Course Level 3.
SFA added that the operators of food businesses should always follow proper food and personal hygiene procedures. This entails using only registered food handlers and making sure that licensed establishments, including their restrooms, are maintained.
Coffee shop owners can apply to the National Environment Agency (NEA) for up to 95% of expenditures, up to a $50,000 ceiling per coffee shop, under a new $5 million Coffee Shop Toilet Renovation Grant, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment announced on March 4.
According to The Straits Times, operators will also have access to NEA's $5 million Coffee Shop Toilet Deep Cleaning Grant, which would cover up to 95% of the cost of a two-year deep cleaning contract, with a $25,000 ceiling per coffee shop.
The ministry had added, "Successful grant applicants will also receive complimentary on-site toilet cleaning training at their coffee shops for in-house cleaners."
