SINGAPORE — The National Environment Agency (NEA) has suspended the licence of Prata Wala at Nex shopping mall for two weeks starting next Tuesday (June 21) after the outlet failed to rid its premises of a cockroach infestation.

Prata Wala has also been fined S$800, according to a suspension notice posted on the NEA’s website.

Prata Wala had accumulated 12 demerit points over the last 12 months, said the NEA. Its staff will be required to attend and pass the Basic Food Hygiene Course again, before they can resume work as food handlers.

The company that runs the Prata Wala chain of restaurants, First Gourmet, issued an apology on Tuesday (June 14) for its "past failings" and has since fired its operations manager who was in charge of the company's five outlets. 

In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the company's director Mr Joseph Lee said: “We acknowledge and sincerely apologise for our past failings.”

"We accept the penalties for our failures and fully support NEA’s actions to improve the food hygiene standards of Singapore,” he added.

Mr Lee said the NEA had found cockroach infestations at the Nex outlet last October and then again in March this year. The operations manager who was in charge of Prata Wala's five outlets has been replaced as has the manager at the Nex outlet, the stewarding and cleaning contractor and the pest control contractor. Mr Lee noted that they have also upped their pest control servicing to "four to six times a month" - up from once a month. 

As a result, NEA inspections in April and May this year revealed no more infestations, according to Mr Lee. “It really badly hurts us, but we have to take it in the chin."

Separately, three food stalls at Blk 477 Tampines Street 43 also had their licences suspended on Tuesday (June 14) for similar reasons. The food stalls were not named on the NEA website, but were only listed as stall numbers 1, 2 and 4. All three food stalls were also fined S$800. Their two-week suspension will begin on Saturday (June 18).

“NEA takes a serious view of these offences and would like to remind food operators to observe good food and personal hygiene practices at all times, and to engage only registered food handlers. NEA will not hesitate to take firm action against anyone found to be in violation of the Environmental Public Health Act,” the agency said on its website.