How Safe Is Food From Home-Based Businesses? | Talking Point | Full Episode

Home-based food businesses have at least tripled in numbers since the pandemic. But in August 2021, 47 people fell ill after consuming food from a home-based bakery. It was the first reported case of mass food poisoning involving a home-based food seller.
So how safe is the food we buy from home-based businesses? Talking Point puts some of our favourite dishes through a food safety test, and throws sellers a surprise inspection to find out.
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About the show: Talking Point investigates a current issue or event, offering different perspectives to local stories and revealing how it all affects you.
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[@trevorthai1685]

This is actually a very relevant issue because food safety is one of the things most Singaporeans take for granted or don’t think about when ordering food from anywhere. So it would help to be more mindful to practice better food storage or hygiene measures when handling or selling food to others. Defrosting your frozen food in the bathroom and bedroom is a BIG RED FLAG cos there would be traces of people’s hair/sweat/other bodily fluids that can easily contaminate the food ingredients. Keeping frozen food out in the open for too long is the worst since it has a very high moisture level that can easily breed bacteria. While I agree that inspections shouldn’t be a norm for home based-businesses, there should be a better way to regulate or adopt safe food handling practices.

[@CNAInsider]

Thanks for your reflection on the topic! We can’t agree more that food safety is an issue that we hardly think twice about, until a severe food poisoning case occurs :/ - Cheryl, Producer

[@allythearts5439]

Isn't this with all food products Even store bought food has made people sick.... When I hear homemade or home based yes I'd be more concerned vs. Purchasing from an actual store

[@real4life335]

You know your country is so safe and relatively news-free when the topic in a news channel’s show is about a cake😂

[@bakerang4022]

That true 😅😅😅

[@jay291]

This is part of a CNA insider series which are documentary like. Well our top and longest news is about lying in parliament. I guess that qualifies as safe too I guess

[@real4life335]

@@jay291 yes it does😅🤣

[@JTChi]

🤣🤣🤣 exactly. First world problem it sounds like

[@lynnleigha580]

I don't think it would hurt to have an inspector come out, when you open your business and make sure the basics are covered because, like this lady, she learned something new and how will someone know what is a possible hazard, if nobody tells them

[@CNAInsider]

Siti was such a good sport! She took the feedback from the inspection in her stride, and learnt tips that she may not be aware of. - Cheryl Producer

[@arissajoan]

Most home based business on Instagram would only show their food/bakes pics closed up but will never ever show their kitchen where food are prepared. If they show, sure no business Liao. 😂

[@nikkikhooniqi]

It will be good to have them licensed and have surprise inspections to ensure food safety for the public's consumption.

[@ddragondamen9049]

I hope the authorities will make it a must for home based F&B business to be subjected to inspection every 6 - 12 months n award then the level of hygiene like hawkers. Home based business owner has to post their hygiene grade for customers to make an informed decision.

[@leolow2057]

Problem is the word homemade is perceived wrongly by people as healthier and safer options. Just like other words such as no MSG, brown sugar, zero fat, low carbs etc. As consumers, don't blindly fall for these words. Do your own research.

[@teas7063]

I guess now people who are considering to start a home-based businesses have to be more cautious and what they plan to sell is very crucial as well

[@clayping6082]

Very relevant topic, good job!!

[@ADLfb]

Last year, I used to order meals from home based business. Initially it was good and clean. As time goes by, I had frequent stomach problems with its foods and salads - that's one of the reasons I stopped ordering. Soups were cold and foods tasted off - don't know how long she kept it. That's why home based foods may not be safe for some foods. I suggest Singapore Food Agency should have some guidelines to food hygiene and safety checks for home based business too.

[@etphonehome6950]

Be it home base or store base. So long consumer dont look at how the food is prepared, no ones gonna question them.

[@Honeymagmangospoof]

Love it! More please

[@CNAInsider]

Thanks for watching! More episodes to come. - Cheryl, Producer

[@crystal8537]

Yes I would never order homemade food due to above hygiene and safety reasons. Better to be safe than sorry esp now Covid super dangerous

[@dannzzcrazyy2191]

Love this content

[@daddyraffles7083]

Special certificate of hygiene for home-based business is the best way to control and monitor the hygiene and safety for food.. This special certificate also will give more confident to consumer to purchase the product of home-based business and give more benefit to home-based business owner Win-win situation

[@CNAInsider]

Thanks for your suggestion! - Cheryl, Producer

[@iwantsquareballoons]

Im curios about the problematic eggs now, might be worth an episode?

[@ListenUp2Sam]

not all eggs are the same. some are sold pasteurized which avoids the samonella contamination problem.

[@CNAInsider]

Thanks for the suggestion! We’ll keep them in mind. - Cheryl, Producer

[@millennia444]

Another great video! Please do more!

[@CNAInsider]

Thanks for the support! More episodes to come. - Cheryl, Producer

[@zyronkwek9222]

Rubbish lah. "relying on income, might kill off this income flow for them" What kind of lousy moral-guilt-empathy excuse is that? If it was so unsafe to the point that it gets shut down, shouldn't income or not be secondary? Unless you mean to say they should be allowed to sell even if it risks food poisoning people who ate it lah. Which is so unreasonable. Poor sellers income more important than people's life ah? Generally safe.. till something happens or you lucky draw and pick the wrong seller. Then what happens? Sue for damages? Negligence? Dead already sue got use? So how? Leave it unregulated and depend on luck? If we could constantly rely on the seller's knowledge of hygiene, diligence in practice and honesty, or to unfairly forgo the duty of care and rely on buyers' to check their own purchase, then there would not have been laws for food licensing even for store businesses already loh. By same logic: Why you cannot check your own food got rat droppings or not at the hotpot restaurant? Such sellers must be held responsible both in ensuring they commit to good practices, and when food poisoning cases actually occur. This responsibility should not be forsaken in the name of "pity" and "supporting locals who lost their jobs". Laws are updated to keep up with the times and protect the interest of society. Not rely on word of mouth and expect buyers to check their own food.

[@Samlowkiapeng1888]

Correct.

[@victoryau4300]

The issue is that you won't pay for the inspection for them, otherwise, they would not mind getting an inspection.

[@zyronkwek9222]

@@victoryau4300 Following your rationale consumers should not (and will not want to) be paying for inspections of all food and beverage restaurants isn't it. So these inspections should stop even at hawker centres because consumers will not want to pay for expensive hawker food, while our poor hawkers should not be paying for them. Going further, since you are suggesting food safety can be forgone on the basis of cost savings, then SFA and the Sale of Food Act should be abolished.

[@victoryau4300]

@@zyronkwek9222 The difference lies in scale; HF&B businesses aren't distributing to the same volume of customers. I do believe that there should be clearer regulations on when home sellers can no longer be legally retain that status. As an example, they must move to shared kitchens or decline customers. I also do believe that free online food safety classes should be required for all F&B businesses.

[@zyronkwek9222]

@@victoryau4300 While the video has pointed out there are currently no limitations to the volume such businesses are receiving, I do not agree that regulations should differ much when food safety is concerned. Sales volume is only one factor that could jeopardise food safety. I see little difference in the need for regulations and enforcement between a small business and a larger restaurant. Both have similar potential to practice subpar standards of hygiene. As you have pointed out even in your first comment, cost is a major concern for many HF&B business owners. So we can also assume cost and profits will always be prioritized by these owners. Why would they buy a new equipment to replace the faulty, or a larger fridge to ensure proper storage? Why would they decline customers when they have too much on their hands? I think it can be presumed such decisions would be on hold till the last minute, for someone whose top priority is cost. Therefore, it should be regulated by law and not up to the owners to decide. Inspections of their work space remains necessary. Similarly for food safety courses it remains a choice and consumers cannot reasonably depend on the honesty of food handlers, or their diligence in the continued practice of what they have learnt. How can attendance ensure knowledge is put to practice? The video also highlighted the fact that owners who have attended a course could also fall below the standards of an SFA officer. Additionally, the same rationale could be applied to all F&B restaurants and hawkers. If food hygiene certs could suffice, then we could abolish inspections of all restaurants.

[@random-np3gn]

wow CNA really did a good job with this video. keep up the good job!

[@Buttercookies0]

HBB are usually run by the owner (1 person) and he/she has an interest in the outcome of the business. Stores are usually done by employees (a couple of them) and one should know employees' attitude and owners' attitude are different.

[@matreen427]

another excellent programme from CNA 👍👍

[@lapplegerl]

Tiramisu contains raw egg as an ingredient. It depends on the recipe if the baker will double boil it or not. Most recipes don’t cook it

[@srajo1807]

interesting to note about the egg placement but are the designs of egg drawers in fridge usually at the top?

[@zerustyknife790]

Most new fridges have egg holders that are detachable. So if you wanna put them below, just move the holder down

[@alvin67788]

the inspector said putting below is only a suggestion

[@sunchildtine]

let's face the fact that demands can go up and down based on season and internet popularity. when orders rise, that is when manpower and food preparation can go haywire for any HBB. very foreseeable problem. consumers just have to be smart and choose wisely. better if you cook for yourself at home. if you know the hard truths about f&b, then you wouldn't really want to eat outside.

[@CNAInsider]

Agree with you that the crux on ensuring food safety is for home-based businesses to produce on a small scale! Consumers need to choose wisely as well for sure. - Cheryl, Producer

[@jachinoy1565]

Very good documentary

[@thanigaibalanbalachandran8267]

YAY!!!

[@yummytravelkj1496]

It's the topic I've never thought about. By the way, the food on this video looks tasty haha:)

[@allythearts5439]

The food safety course i find fun to take I will soon be making my way there Because i do make homemade foods/drinks that im looking to sell ‼️‼️

[@ruthagood]

This is a plottwist. I wont buy nasi dishes at airport again 😆😆😆

[@sdqsdq6274]

some really daring to sell seafood like sushi without food safety course , top dogs for serious food poisoning, now i wonder those sale price sushi are safe to eat

[@juliafisher8813]

In US, no restaurant chef wear face mask in closed kitchen.

[@mabellee424]

I 🤔 what happened in Australia? No one check. Especially the government departments (local council) , they are all so lazy. We have so many home based food in all.Asian supper markets , even my neighbour is one of the home based . Yet this is not the worse off all. All Asian or market Butchers, they handle all different kind of meat with their same gloves and money. Please send your clip to our government departments 🙏

[@lynnleigha580]

Yea, I just learned, about 6 months ago that eggs are porus, all good tho, knock on wood, in my 28 years of cooking, nobody has ever been sick from my food, I'm also obsessive about meat being thoroughly cooked and when preparing, I wash everything, before I use it on something else, I'm scared of cross contamination.

[@ListenUp2Sam]

not all eggs are the same. some are sold pasteurized which avoids the samonella contamination problem.

[@wannaberedneckprepper7030]

Even inspected Restaurants and hawkers food can make you sick. Should home base run foods be any different? It’s all about the money paid to the government f&b safety department.

[@Trgn]

Safer than toxic chemical preservatives laden industrial proccessed "foods" in commercial restaurant chains and supermarkets for sure.

[@chikyongbockwilly283]

Homebased Food

[@simonialei9020]

Usually, CNA's Talking Point program is excellent. This could have been another excellent episode about a really important topic. Really didn't like how Rai just mislead Pachi Fan & Siti Rauda to think that Rai was there to profile their food. But really Rai's true intention was to bring in an inspector to spot check their premise. This is really unethical journalism. Next time, please fully inform your participants of the inspection from the very beginning to see if they agree first before coming to their homes. Or if you are going to surprise them with food inspections, at least blur their faces and don't say the name of their businesses to anonymize and protect them. Pachi and Siti's had uncomfortable expressions when they found out about the inspection. Were they feeling pressure to "agree" to the food inspection when the entire CNA camera crew was present? No journalism result is worth such unethical means.

[@rhapps121]

Notice what is the problem? Money

[@sitinazariah9097]

As simple as that.

[@mahdiyussuf9804]

No it's not safe, the home baker will be baking in the toilet. LOL wtf kind of video is this CNA lmao

[@LecreedTention]

come already come already!!! ah gong see alot of you people earn pocket money during CNY but he never receive angpow, only give angpow, so now ah gong want to come collect liao....

[@caedanteng5417]

I eat raw fish from ah pek who do it live still surviving why make a fuss. Is how you prepare the food which is the crux. If raw food are a worry for you like yu sheng dont eat it then.

[@gohshuifa]

they really wear masks when no inspectors are around?

[@sdqsdq6274]

lol

[@user-bm1hg8hy4z]

13:26 ㅊㄱㅍ

[@za7v9ier]

hahaha lanjiao. All these hoo haa. Our ancestors went thru life back then without having to go thru all these "administrative stuffs". And they still lived to produce us.

[@yao9598]

Look at the infant mortality rate from YOUR ancestors vs our time and ask yourself how did this happen. I am guessing regulation is PART of that puzzle.

[@za7v9ier]

@@yao9598 having unnecessary regulations imposes more costs to the end consumer. And people wonder why cost of living is rising. Besides I'm pretty sure advances in medication and technology is the reason why infant mortality rate is low. Our ancestors had more children than us now.

[@bakerang4022]

@@za7v9ier agree with you