Explore other methods to feed foreign workers 

It is alarming to read that more than nine in 10 Bangladeshi migrant workers here are given unhygienic food to eat ("Foreign workers given stale food: Survey"; last Friday).

I am sure there are ways to beat this problem.

If catered food is prepared 12 hours earlier, causing the food to be stale, one solution is to store the food in insulated bags.

The cost of such bags, sold at $2 each by some retailers, can be reduced if employers buy them in bulk.

Another solution would be to give the workers vouchers to buy food from our hawker stalls at subsidised rates.

Every worker is happy when lunchtime arrives. We must ensure that the food energises and motivates workers.

The authorities should be more active in conducting checks on how employers take care of their foreign workers.

Strict punishment must be meted out if employers are interested in only lowering costs, at the expense of their workers.

Catering companies must also be aware of the condition of the food they supply when it is delivered hours later.

If one group of foreign workers falls ill, what implications will it have on the work? Employers will also incur additional costs when this happens.

Singapore should do more to raise the standards of our employers, and market ourselves as empathetic employers.

If there is a will, there is always a way to treat any human being well.

Mary Chan Pheck Li (Ms)

This article was first published on June 16, 2015.
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