PUBLISHED ONMay 31, 2022 7:47 AMByKhoo Yi-Hang[UPDATE: June 2, 12.30pm]
SFA told AsiaOne that it is investigating the matter.
Under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations, operators of SFA-licensed premises have a responsibility to ensure good cleaning and sanitation practices for food safety such as keeping the air cleaning system or hood clean, properly maintained and in good working order, said the agency.
SFA said it conducts regular inspections of licensed food retail establishments to ensure compliance with their regulations, and it will not hesitate to take enforcement action if necessary. Members of the public who come across any potentially errant food operator should report to SFA via the online feedback form.
[UPDATE: June 1, 9.30am]
The coffee shop owner, surnamed Wang, said that the replacement was stalled because he is waiting for permission from the authorities.
He told Shin Min on Tuesday that he hired a crane to remove the burnt kitchen exhaust duct on the day of the fire and purchased the materials needed to replace it.
However, the 57-year-old was later told that he needed to obtain permission from the authorities to continue with it.
He then sought an evaluation from a professional before submitting his application on May 23, but claimed that he has yet to receive the go-ahead.
"I can't stop stallholders from reopening for business, as most repairs were completed except for the kitchen exhaust duct."
Residents in this Serangoon HDB block can't seem to catch a break it seems.
Earlier this month, the street-level coffee shop below their four-storey block caught fire, one which involved the kitchen exhaust duct belonging to the coffee shop.
About 20 people self-evacuated and one person was taken to the hospital because of the incident on May 14.
Now, residents in that block are faced with a new foe: Mala fumes pumped into their homes from a half-built kitchen exhaust duct, presumably to replace the one damaged in the fire.
In a Facebook post on Complaint Singapore yesterday (May 30), a resident living in block 261, Serangoon Central Drive claimed that construction on the exhaust duct has been stalled since May 17.
"However, the stalls have already started operating since then," resident Brenda Zhining posted.
She wrote that the mala store "operates till near 5am" and the coffee shop operates 24 hours a day, pumping dirty air through the incomplete exhaust duct and right into their homes.
"The gas and smoke travel upwards — into our units and on our laundry," Zhining complained. "[We] can't even hang the laundry out because it will be filled with the smell."
Even when they close their windows, the smell still permeates into their homes, Zhining said in her post.
Prior to this incident, she said that residents there have never complained about the smell because the duct was working.
"We really need help this time," Zhining pleaded. "We are unable to do anything."
"Please, although business is important, have a heart," she also added.
In her post, there were construction materials such as metal sheets, a ladder and even an articulating boom lift left in a corner of that HDB block.
These been left untouched for two to three weeks, said Zhining.
AsiaOne has reached out to Marine Parade Town Council, the Singapore Food Agency and the coffee shop owner for comment.
khooyihang@asiaone.com
