Although this presentation is from Food & Hotel Singapore 2012, it is still very relevant today.

1. Food Safety and Quality:
Hotel’s Perspective on the Challenges and
Opportunities
Ruby O
Director of Food Safety, City of Dreams
FHA 2012 Singapore
19 April, 2012

2. Hotel Sector’s Characteristics (setting the scene)
Existing Issues and Local Challenges
Hotel’s Perspective on Food Safety
Collaborations on Food Safety
Contents

3. Hotel Sector’s Characteristics
(setting the scene)
Setting the scene:
• Guest prospective
• Service nature
• Complexity of business

4. • High expectation
Poor hygiene practice in hotel is generally
unacceptable
• Service and product liability
Guests are more likely to make claims against hotel
Food safety risks associated to company reputation
and image
Hotel Sector’s Characteristics
(Guest Prospective)

5. Hotel’s Perspective on Food Safety
Macau was a little fisherman port, Portuguese
colony for >500yrs
[Graphic]
Eating patterns (WAS):
Small café/ noodle congee shop
Home cooking

6. Back then
From Farm to Fork (good old days)
[Graphic: Eden garden]

7. • Flow of work (ever most complex operation
models)
Hotel Sector’s Characteristics
(Complexity of Business)
[Graphic:
typical food source and processing]

8. Macau Foodborne Illness Figure
Numbers of Notified Cases of Foodborne-Related Disease
(as of Mar 9, 2012)
Source: Governo da Regiao Adminstrativa Especial de Macau- Servicos de Saude
資料來源：衛生局疾病預防控制中心傳染病防制暨疾病監測部
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total 114 35 156 63 324 155 192 154 367 237 365 379
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Case

9. We understand the risks are out there
[GRAPHIC: HIGH RISKS]
Hotel Sector’s Characteristics
(setting the scene)

10. • Common control and restriction in food
industry do not apply to hotel sector
• Restricted ingredients or methods ?
 Burger patty (medium rare)
 Oyster bar
 Reheating request for a meal over left at room temp. for over 4 hrs
 Bring in food and drinks to hotel
• Glass policy?
 Ingredients packages are in glasses
 Chinaware
 Decoration
Food Prep. Area are surrounded by glasses
Hotel Sector’s Characteristics
(setting the scene)

11. Guest lead today’s F&B market
[Graphic]
Hotel Sector’s Characteristics
(setting the scene)

12. Hotel Sector’s Characteristics
Food Safety & Quality
Flavor, Texture,
Guest request
Balance or Compromise

13. Local Challenges
• Limitation of Food Sources
 Monopoly of food supply
• Absence of legal requirements
• Imported food makes up >95% of the market
 Inconsistent of product info.
 Weak tractability
 Valuable to recall and external food scandal

14. Imported food makes up >95% of the market
Local Challenges

15. • From Farm to Fork ?
Risk management at early stage
Difficulty in getting engagement of industry
Taking into account consumer choices/ education
(guest driven)
Local Challenges

16. Hotel’s Perspective on Food Safety
Macau
– AKA Asian Monte Carlo and Las Vegas
[Graphic]
Food safety risks associated to company reputation and
image

17. Local Challenges
0.00
15.00
30.00
45.00
60.00
75.00
90.00
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Hotel Occupancy Rate %
Source: The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), Macau
0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
2500000
3000000
2008 2009 2010 2011
Visitor Arrival
Total spending of visitors reached MOP 13.4 billion in the fourth quarter of
2011, up notably by 25% in comparison with MOP 10.7 billion a year earlier.
Total spending of visitors for the whole year of 2011 soared by 20% from 37.9
billion in 2010 to MOP 45.3 billion.

18. Local Challenges
Insufficient Work Force (Unemployed Rate: 2.55%)
 Compare unemployment rate in Singapore (2% yr 2011) and HK
(3.3% Yr 2011 Jan)
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Unemployment Rate of Macau
Source: The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), Macau
[Figure:GDP]

19. Hotel Sector’s Characteristics
(Complexity of Business)
Eating pattern (PRESENT)
Increase group dinning practices (i.e. conference,
banquet, buffet, canteen, tour group, casino &
entertainment events)
Less just in time cooking, more advance food
preparation

20. We need food safety system in place (URGENTLY)
Increase competitive over non-certified companies
Resource optimization internally and along the food
supply chain with better planning and control measures
Hotel’s Perspective on Food Safety

21. Engaging employees in food safety
 System can help employee engage in the
process
 Make the employee know that food safety
knowledge and practices are something
valuable to individual career development
= WHAT IN IT FOR ME (WIFM)
Hotel’s Perspective on Food Safety

22. “If something has been done a particular way for 15 or 20 years, it’s a pretty good sign, in these
changing times, that it is being done the wrong way.” To improve food safety, we have to realize
that it’s more than just food science; it’s the behavioral sciences too.”
by Elliot M. Estes
Food safety is all about the behavior of people
System can help employee engage in the process
and establish a food safety culture
Hotel’s Perspective on Food Safety

23. Back to basic
(despite high labor cost, limitation of space…)
 Start from scratch instead of getting semi-process products to
guarantee quality and safety
 In house producing semi-process products to supports outlets and sister
properties
Hotel’s Perspective on Food Safety

24. Collaboration on Food Safety
• Coordinate cargo shipment from oversea
Skip distributors (less chances of mishandling)
• Collective pressures to suppliers
Product quality & service improvement

25. Collaboration on Food Safety
• Express long term issues with collective
voices through hotel and chef association
to local authority

26. Improvement of Food Safety in the Region
Quality management system in business, hotel
sectors, supplier sectors
Global monitoring concept/ platform
(alerts, networks for goods with critical origins and supplier)
Registered traders, food establishment, food business
operators, and supplier covered by official control and
assessed by 3rd party
Centralized data base to alter illegal products and dealers to
authorities
Collaboration on Food Safety

27. Food Safety & Hygiene
Thank You 多謝
FHA 2012, Singapore
19 April 2012

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