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If you have been aware of online posts about the current situation regarding Singaporean migrant workers, you may have noticed some talk about the alleged poor quality of the food they have been receiving in quarantine.
Images of food packages have been circulating on social media, accompanied by captions alleging that recipients were not satisfied with the quality of their meals.
With a significant portion of the Muslim workforce, a more disturbing note is taken at this time during Ramadan, when workers have to cope with whatever it takes to break the fast and recover before dawn.
However, Minister of State for Human Resources Zaqy Mohamad attempted to allay concerns in a Facebook post yesterday (April 29), assuring members of the public that the situation is progressively improving.
https://www.facebook.com/zaqym/posts/1482453998602478
Acknowledging all the comments they sent him on the subject, Zaqy mentioned that there had been initial problems at first, as the Multiple Ministries Working Group had to serve more than 10 million meals to all workers residing in 43 specially designed bedrooms throughout the island.
“We are talking about 200,000 workers of at least half a dozen nationalities,” he said. “It is like serving the entire Ang Mo Kio GRC.”
The initial problems he mentioned could refer to some of the alleged complaints of migrant workers shared on social media. The non-governmental organization (NGO) HOME posted on Facebook on Monday (April 27) that the food served to workers in dorms S11 and North Lodge was “inadequate and unpleasant”, with some reporting average food cooked, watered down and unpleasant. smells
https://www.facebook.com/migrantworkerssg/posts/3442693045744093
“We have been receiving regular complaints and comments from workers of all nationalities in various [of] the bedrooms about the quality of their food: it is often undercooked, tastes bad and not fresh, and some get sick after eating it, “wrote HOME.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (April 28), social activist Kokila Annamalai shared images allegedly taken by migrant workers residing in temporary dormitories in Redhill. Her images show foods that seemed to be prepared quickly, with pieces of dried meat, vegetables, and raw chili placed on top of the rice.
Kokila also stated that some of the workers missed their food before dawn due to spoiled food being served.
https://www.facebook.com/kokila.annamalai/posts/10163870045490085
Zaqy assured that “things have improved and continue to improve.”
“For the past three weeks, the Task Force has been working around the clock to ensure that workers have adequate food to suit their dietary and flavor preferences, delivered on time,” he explained.
Meanwhile, 34 caterers are constantly adjusting meals with worker feedback, with help from employers and 10 like-minded NGOs with hundreds of volunteers.
The images he shared in the post show that the workers have been satisfied with the food they were getting.
Zaqy’s words have been endorsed by the Minister of Internal Affairs and the K. Shanmugam Law, who argued that the issue of food quality was addressed by the Minister of Human Resources, Josephine Teo.
“But don’t get me wrong, we are delivering several hundred thousand meals three times a day to workers. Most of them tell us that the quality of the food is good,” added Shanmugam.
[[nid:486570]]“I am not going to tell you, therefore, each package is good, or each person is happy, it is not possible.”
The minister also warned bad actors to intentionally recycle old photos of food packages or photos of food being thrown in the trash in other countries, stating that action will be taken against those who deliberately spread falsehoods.
Meanwhile, Zaqy urged those with comments on the quality of migrant workers’ food to report the issues directly to the staff of the Advanced Support and Guarantee Team (FAST) posted in all dormitories so that solutions can be faster.
“We do not want to send our officers on a useless hunt when the time spent could have been better spent meeting the needs of the workers,” he added.
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