When I Was Young

Albert Centre Temporary Market
Hygiene grades dropped after move; centre gets first spring-cleaning for the year

ESTHER NG
estherng@mediacorp.com.sg

An NEA officer inspecting a stall at Albert Centre Temporary Market yesterday.OOI BOON KEONG

GRADES dropped when hawkers from 270 Queen Street moved further up the road to new premises at the Albert Centre Temporary Market last July.

The 70 dry goods stores, 29 wet market stalls and 73 cooked food stalls had to shift because their previous premises are being upgraded. Some hawkers said that their hygiene rating dropped to C when they moved over.

“We used to be B, but now it’s C. The National Environment Agency (NEA) officer said it is because the place is a temporary market,” said Ms Jamayah Hassan of Indonesia Satay Stall.

Currently, only two of the 73 cooked food stalls are graded A, while four are a B. The remaining 67 hawkers all received Cs. Previously, there were four A-grade stalls, 49 B-grade and 20 C-grade stalls. According to the NEA, the change in grading for some stalls was due to “housekeeping and poorer fittings and fixtures at the temporary premises”.

It explained that the stalls had “to be freshly assessed” when they moved to the temporary location. The NEA gave the stallholders three months to settle in before it conducted the grading exercise. In the case of the cooked food stallholders, the assessment took place on Sept 30 and new decals were given to them on Oct 6.

Yesterday, the centre got its first spring-cleaning for the year. It was a move planned since mid-March, said the centre’s hawker committee chairman Michael Tan.

The committee has also stepped up its cleaning regime since the food poisoning outbreak at Geylang Serai Temporary Market.

“We now clear plates and food debris hourly. We used to do this after busy periods. We’ve also increased the frequency of our cleaning from two to three times a day on top of the end-of-the-day hose down,” said Mr Tan.

A contractor carries out the cleaning of drains, toilets and common areas.

Yesterday, NEA officers were also on hand to inspect the premises. They climbed on chairs to look at the top of cupboards as well as behind them, shining their torches to see better. They also ran their fingers along the sides and under shelves, checking for dirt, grime or vermin.

“We check for chipped crockery, the shelves above the cooking area and whether rubbish is properly disposed of,” said Mr Dennis Tan, one of the officers.

Stall holders told Today that they have no qualms about the extra vigilance.They also said they experienced a slight business dip during the initial reports of the Geylang Serai outbreak, but business has since recovered.

From TODAY, News - Tuesday, 14-April-2009