SINGAPORE - The National Environment Agency (NEA) will be taking action against food court operator Kopitiam after one of its employees was caught washing her shoe in a sink at its National University Hospital (NUH) branch.
Kopitiam apologised for the incident. In a post on Facebook on Tuesday morning. It assured customers that the washing equipment used by the employee had been replaced and the sink disinfected. It added that the employee has been sacked. A hygiene briefing for all staff members working in the food court will also be conducted.
In a statement, the NEA said, "The wash basin is usually used by food handlers to wash their hands and food containers. This episode was a flagrant breach of hygiene that could have resulted in contamination of food and utensils," said the statement.
The clip, which lasts almost two minutes, shows the woman scrubbing both her shoes with a brush under a running tap at the cold desserts section. She then return the brush to a container which held other kitchen utensils.
According to the NEA, food retail outlets who are convicted for hygiene lapses may be fined not more than $2,000 and have their licences suspended. Public can the 24-hour NEA Call Centre on 1800-2255632 to report of poor food handling.