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Managing Rat and Cockroach Activity in Food Retail Establishments
Pests like rats and cockroaches in food premises can contaminate food and food contact surfaces, which can cause foodborne illnesses.
You should implement preventive measures and good practices to prevent rat and cockroach activity at licensed premises. For example, you should provide an adequate number of refuse bins and ensure that they are covered.
For more ways to manage/prevent pest activity, download the following:
Good Practices in Managing/Preventing Rat Activity in Retail Food Establishments Guidelines on Prevention of Rat and Cockroach Infestations at Food Establishments
Serving Blind or Visually Impaired Persons with Guide Dogs
Under Regulation 29(3) of Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations, food establishments may permit guide dogs accompanying blind or visually impaired persons to be brought into the dining or refreshment area, or any toilet of the licensed premises.
The guide dogs should be:
- allowed only in the dining/refreshment/toilet areas
- kept under proper control
- restrained from straying or causing annoyance or nuisance, or causing damage to any property
- leashed
The guide dogs should not be:
- fed within the food establishment
For more information, you can download the following:
Live animals such as pets are not permitted into food establishments, with the exception of pet cafés, under Regulation 29(1) of Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations.
Pet cafés are food shops where patrons may bring their pets along when they dine in these food shops. A pet café licence is required for such food establishments.
Housing, Handling and Slaughtering of Frogs
To house, handle or slaughter frogs at your food establishment, download and follow the Guidelines on Good Practices in the Housing, Handling and Slaughtering of Frogs.
The objectives of the guidelines are to ensure food safety, animal health and welfare standards are maintained.
The guidelines are jointly developed by SFA and the Animal Veterinary Service (AVS) of the National Parks Board (NParks).
Maintaining Kitchen Exhaust Systems to Prevent Fires
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has identified the accumulation of grease in kitchen exhaust systems and ducting as the cause for fires in food establishments. This can be prevented through regular maintenance of the exhaust systems and ducting.
The SCDF’s Code of Practice for Fire Precautions in Buildings (commonly known as the Fire Code) requires all kitchen exhaust system to be properly maintained.
You should ensure:
- The entire (interior and exterior) exhaust duct and kitchen hood are degreased and cleaned at least once every 12 months.
- Maintenance is carried out by a specialist, and records are kept by operators for verification.
For more information on SCDF’s Code of Practice for Fire Precautions in Buildings, please visit the SCDF website.
Mitigating Noise
Operators of licensed food premises must ensure that noise levels at their premises are adequately mitigated.
For example, you should install silencers or suitable noise attenuators in air conditioning compressors or exhaust systems to minimise noise and vibrations generated.
To mitigate noise:
- Download the Good Practice Guide for Noise Mitigation (For Foodshops) and adopt the practices.
- Consult experts/consultants for advice on suitable noise control measures as the practices in the Good Practice Guide are not intended to be comprehensive.
The Good Practice Guide is developed jointly by the National Environment Agency (NEA), Housing and Development Board (HDB), Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
