NEA to take action against MBS stall operator after cockroach infestation found

Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) is taking action against the operator of a stall at a food court in swanky casino-resort Marina Bay Sands after their investigations found a cockroach infestation at the stall.
 
An NEA spokesperson said that licensed stall operators who fail to keep their premises free from pest infestation can be fined up to $2,000 or issued with six demerit points should they be convicted of it.
 
“Besides enforcing against the food stall, NEA has also warned the food court operator to step up its pest control regime and ensure the premises are kept clean with proper food storage and waste management measures in place,” the agency said.
 
On Monday, a photo uploaded by fashion stylist Kovit Ang to his Facebook page showed cockroaches walking around the ledge of the chicken rice stall at “1983: A Taste of Nanyang”, one of two food courts at the MBS shoppes. Shocked friends of his shared it more than 200 times, and the photo was even picked up by parody account SGAG.

Speaking to Yahoo Singapore on Sunday, Ang said he was second in queue at the stall when he noticed the family of roaches.

"They were really obvious," he said, adding that he took a quick snap of them and walked away from the stall immediately. "I wonder why the others (in queue) didn't notice them!"
 
Responding to news of the cockroaches, MBS closed the food court on Tuesday evening for cleaning and pest control treatment, noted the NEA.
 
“NEA takes such lapses seriously as operators of food establishments have a duty to ensure their premises are clean and free from pests by putting in place a good cleaning regime and an effective pest control programme,” they said.
 
Yahoo Singapore has contacted MBS for a response to this development.