Forum: Do more to raise F&B service and food hygiene standards

The food and beverage (F&B) sector’s service and food hygiene standards for both dine-in and takeaway seem to be quietly slipping even as prices are steadily increasing, supposedly as a result of the GST hike.

For example, servers at a specialist restaurant known for its customised menu by courses inadvertently rushed us through its five-course menu because they were too enthusiastic about bringing out the next course while we were still working on the earlier one.

I’ve also seen counter staff at a takeaway outlet use the same pair of gloves to do everything from food handling to packing – a scenario that is unfortunately not uncommon at F&B takeaway counters.

While it is tempting to attribute such lapses to a foreign labour force unfamiliar with Singaporean norms and expectations, these more likely arise from a training gap.

F&B companies must invest in maintaining standards and cannot demand that their staff hit the ground running without providing any guidance. This is especially true if the staff come from another cultural background and have been serving customers with simpler needs.

Can the authorities conduct more mystery audits to check that guidelines on F&B service and food hygiene standards are being upheld? This would prevent Singapore from losing out to our neighbours as a good food destination.

After all, the F&B standards in the neighbouring countries are not significantly different, though their prices are substantially lower. This leads me to wonder whether F&B customers here actually get what they pay for or are simply left with the short end of the stick.

Ortega Gerard James