ABCD Guide to Hawker Food in Singapore

I don't cook at all, not to mention that my kitchen at home could be the cleanest among all in Singapore. But that doesn't mean i m proud of it. What i m trying to say is that all my meals are taken outside, it's pretty unhealthy u might think. So the next healthy thing i can do for myself is to patronize stalls that are hygenic, serve nutritious food, etc.

Everytime i bypass hawker centres here, i noticed that every stall will have a licence cum grading card, displayed prominently in front of each of them. I m sure everyone will wonder what the A-B-C-D means.

I later found out that the National Environment Agency (NEA), is the authority that licences all food retail businesses in Singapore. Retail food establishments are given a grade by NEA based on overall hygience, cleanliness & housekeeping standards of the premises. This grading system for eating establishments is a structured system for appraisal for food outlets that is meant to motivate licensees to improve & maintain good personal & food hygience, & also housekeeping of their premises. All of them are required to display the grading card, enabling the public to make a more informed choice when patronizing all food outlets.

Eating establishments and food stalls are assessed by NEA and given the following grades:
A – a score of 85% or higher
B – a score of 70% to 84%
C – a score of 50% to 69%
D – a score of less than 50%

But a few days ago, my friend gave me an email that gives a different interpretation. But i find it quite true too. I let u foodies decided if u agree with me......

As the saying goes:
"Healthy food, taste no good. If u love the food, do not visit the kitchen".
Information source: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/topics_food_hygiene.aspx