FOOD POISONING (Increase in)

Mr Goh Chee Wee asked the Minister for the Environment if he will explain the significant increase in the number of food poisoning cases reported to his Ministry in 1988 compared with those in previous years; and what measures are being taken to contain the problem.

Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng (for the Minister for the Environment): Sir, 191 cases of food poisoning were reported in 1988 as compared with 135 in 1987 and 91 in 1986. The majority of these food poisoning reports were made by members of the public to my Ministry.

Inspections of eating establishments carried out by my Ministry throughout the year, however, showed that there has not been a deterioration in food hygiene standards amongst food handlers in 1988. The number of contraventions on food and personal hygiene by food vendors was less in 1988, 6.7% of premises inspected compared to 9.1% of premises inspected in 1987. My Ministry, however, will continue to step up checks against all food vendors in food establishments.

Sir, every licensed food establishment is placed on a schedule of inspection. On an average, eating establishments and food stalls are checked once a month. Those with poorer records are inspected more than once a month.

My Ministry takes a very serious view against improper practices of food and personal hygiene amongst food vendors. Every restaurant manager, every eating house proprietor, every hawker, food caterer and anyone involved in the sale of food must be fully responsible and accountable for the standard of hygiene of food sold by him and the cleanliness of the premises where food is prepared.

Sir, since September 1987 licensees of eating establishments, including hawkers, are given demerit points whenever they are convicted of any food hygiene offences. Those who have accumulated 12 points within 12 months will have their licences suspended for two weeks. And if they continue to commit further offences, their licences may be revoked.

My Ministry is in the process of amending the Environmental Public Health (Food Handlers) Regulations and the Environmental Public Health (Food Establishments) Regulations to introduce tighter control measures, including heavier penalties against recalcitrant hawkers and restaurant operators. The amended Regulations will be ready in three to four months' time.

Sir, we will study the systems of countries with high hygiene standards, such as Japan, to learn how to upgrade the education of food handlers and our supervision of food handling. Food vendors in Singapore must learn about food and personal hygiene and they must adopt a sense of responsibility to consumers by dropping their old and dirty habits and picking up clean ones.

My Ministry is very pleased to note that there is today a greater awareness amongst members of the public on food hygiene and food poisoning, brought about by wider publicity given on these topics by the press media last year. Members of the public are now more inclined to report to the Ministry whenever they come down with diarrhoea or other symptoms of food poisoning when they consume food bought from eating establishments. Health inspectors from my Ministry will carry out full investigations into every complaint and report of food poisoning made by members of the public to my Ministry.