Serangoon Coffee Shop Suspended for One Day Due to Its Toilet’s Cleanliness

A Serangoon coffee shop has been suspended for one day due to a failure to keep its toilet clean and in good order.

Yes, you read that right — coffee shops can be suspended for poor toilet cleanliness.

Serangoon Coffee Shop Suspended for One Day Due to Toilet Cleanliness (Or Lack Thereof)

On Friday (2 Aug), a coffee shop located at 204 Serangoon Central, known as Good Food Park, found its license suspended for a day.

The reason? The coffee shop had accumulated 12 demerit points within 12 months.

According to a food hygiene notice issued by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), Good Food Park had accumulated demerit points for its failure to maintain sanitary fittings in good working condition and repair, as well as its failure to keep its toilet clean and in good repair.

Specifically, the coffee shop incurred four demerit points each for two offences of a failure to maintain sanitary fittings in good working conditions and repair, and another four demerit points for a failure to keep its toilet clean and in good repair.

As a result, SFA suspended Good Food Park’s license for a day and fined the coffee shop a total of $1,100.

In its food hygiene notice on Good Food Park’s suspension, the SFA stated: “SFA takes a serious view of these offences and would like to remind food business operators to observe good food and personal hygiene practices at all times.”

It’s about time lah. As consumers, I’m sure we’ve all come across our fair share of nasty public toilets — we won’t complain if there are more officers around to check out the coffee shop toilets islandwide.

Regardless, we’re sure that’s not the end of consumers’ woes with Good Food Park. Contrary to what the coffee shop’s name suggests, the food there doesn’t seem to be in line with the coffee shop’s name, according to a Google review.

Unfortunately, SFA doesn’t take action against poor-tasting food — for now, we suppose consumers will have to deal with this on their own.

How the SFA Point Demerit System Works

In case you didn’t know, the SFA has a “Point Demerit System”, which most food retail establishments are subject to. This includes food courts, coffee shops, canteens, snack bars, food caterers, and hawker stalls.

Examples of certain offences which food retail establishments may incur demerit points for include a failure to provide toilet paper and soap in the toilet, using chipped crockery, smoking tobacco, and even using one’s breath to open a bag or wrapper.

If food retail establishments are caught for such offences, fines will also be levied against them, although the fine amount varies based on the offence.

For instance, a failure to provide toilet paper and soap in the toilet carries a fine of up to $500, while smoking tobacco carries a fine of $300.

When a food retail establishment accumulates 12 demerit points within 12 months, their licenses will be suspended, albeit for varying suspension periods depending on the number of past suspensions, as well as whether you’re an individual stall licensee or the main operator of the establishment.

More recently, the license of Paradise Restaurant & Catering in Food Xchange @ Admiralty was suspended for two weeks for a failure to register its assistant and a failure to keep its licensed premises free of infestation as well.

Food hygiene cannot be messed with lah.