Lady Questions Hygiene & Halal Status After Seeing Tattooed You Tiao Man Staff Preparing Food
Update (20 Mar, 10.55pm): The preschool the lady works at, PCF Sparkletots, has released a statement regarding the issue. You may read it in full below.
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For practicing Muslims, ascertaining that food is halal before consuming it is absolutely important. In most cases, an official cert like the one from MUIS will do. Despite carrying such a cert, Singapore company You Tiao Man still receives queries, most recently from a particularly inquisitive lady.
Upset by certain prejudices the email implied, You Tiao Man’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) took to Facebook to express her grievances.
Lady asks if food is halal when tattooed staff prepares it
On Friday (19 Mar), Facebook user Ms Chew shared screenshots of an email conversation between her and a curious netizen.
The CEO of You Tiao Man explained the context that this happened shortly after her company was featured in a clip on Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
You may watch the video here:
Noticing that a staff member with a tattoo on his arm was preparing the food, a viewer decided to write in to You Tiao Man.
In her email, the lady raised several queries regarding the company’s hygiene practices, firstly because the staff evidently had no gloves on while handling food.
But it was her subsequent questions that didn’t sit well with Ms Chew.
Pointing out that the staff appeared to be a “Chinese man with tattoo”, the lady proceeded to ask if the food he handled could be considered halal.
Implying that these attributes could make the food’s hygiene and halal status dubious, she questioned the authorities’ alertness.
She then apologised for causing any inconvenience before signing off.
CEO answers lady’s queries at length
Appalled by the lady’s remarks, Ms Chew crafted a lengthy reply, taking time to address her queries kindly before calling out the issues with her email.
Explaining that gloves would hinder the you tiao-making process, Ms Chew assured that all procedures are in adherence to the Singapore Food Agency’s (SFA) guidelines.
Moreover, all of the food handlers have received necessary training and certification.
With regard to their halal status, Ms Chew said that they carry an official MUIS cert, which she’d gladly show as proof.
She then proceeded to point out some problematic areas of the lady’s email.
You Tiao Man CEO calls out lady’s biases
Prefacing by saying that You Tiao Man hires staff regardless of their background or appearances, Ms Chew went on to convey her concern about the lady’s apparent biases.
Noting that the preschool staff had inadvertently sent the message using her work email, she related the situation to a more familiar scenario.
Instead of discriminating against children who appear different from others, Ms Chew expressed her confidence in the fact that the lady would celebrate them.
In the same vein, she upheld her staff by clarifying that his tattoo is an art form which doesn’t affect his work.
Preschool will counsel staff regarding her actions
The signature in the lady’s email indicated that she’s a staff at PCF Sparkletots.
In response to queries from MS News, Ms Yvonne Tang, Director of Strategic Planning & Communications at PCF said that:
PCF believes in, champions and teaches the importance of multiracialism. Our diversity means that we all need to be tolerant, understanding and inclusive.
We know that a member of our non-teaching support staff had used her work email account to ask questions and make comments that do not reflect PCF’s views. She will be counselled about her inappropriate actions.
No tolerance for discrimination in a common space
While this incident reminds us that prejudices still exist in Singapore, it also shows a more positive side.
Ms Chew’s defence of her staff and encouragement of inclusivity are things we can all aspire towards.
Kudos to Ms Chew for coming up with such a composed response, and sharing this important reminder.
Let’s take a leaf from her book and show everyone equal respect, regardless of what sets them apart.
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Featured image adapted from YouTube.
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