Sports school canteen operator suspended
Sports school canteen operator suspended
By Hoe Yeen Nie / Tan Qiuyi | Posted: 11 November 2010 1733 hrs
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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Sports School canteen operator has been suspended while investigations are ongoing for the food poisoning incident at the school last week.
ISS Catering Services may have its licence revoked if found responsible for the case, which affected 106 students.
This is the third time in two years that food poisoning has occurred at the Singapore Sports School.
In January 2009, 94 people fell ill after having breakfast - and ISS Catering Services was let off with a warning.
Food handlers were cleared of food-borne bacteria, and no hygiene lapses were found.
There were no food samples available for tests.
Two months later, 77 people fell ill.
10 tested positive for the Salmonella C bacteria, including three food handlers, who were later suspended although it is not clear if they were the cause of the disease.
ISS Catering Services has also been fined a total of S$500 for poor hygiene practices. First in March last year, for its dirty freezers and then in April this year, for unsanitary premises and poor waste management.
It was also given six demerit points.
Responding to Channel NewsAsia, Sports School principal Deborah Tan said the school alerted the authorities once it learnt of the outbreaks.
In this latest incident, the kitchen was ordered to be closed immediately, and reopened it only after the National Environment Agency (NEA) gave the clearance.
As a further precaution, the school requested for individually-packed meals to be sent from the caterer's central kitchen until Monday, when the school shuts for the holidays.
Mrs Tan added that given ISS' poor track record, and "in view of the recent incident, the current caterer will be at a severe disadvantage during evaluation."
The National Environment Agency said that while food poisoning cases at food outlets have dropped from 21 to 15 since 2009, those involving caterers have gone up, to 10 cases so far this year. This is an increase from nine in 2009, and eight in 2008.
It said when catering, it is best not to over-order.
"Any leftover food, typically guests would pack it and take them home. But such a practice actually poses a higher risk of food poisoning because food if left for too long can allow bacteria, if present, to multiply to high levels and that could lead to food poisoning," said Wong Chiu Ying, Head of Opearations (Hygiene) with the NEA.
Since April, tougher penalties for offenders have kicked in. For example, food caterers and food establishments now face a composition fine of S$300 for major offences, compared to S$100 before April 2010.
Major offences include the improper storage of food and failing to keep the kitchen clean.
Serious offences - such as serving dirty food and preparing food in the toilet - now warrant a composition fine of S$400, up from S$100 previously.
And from next year, food caterers will have to indicate the date by which their food must be consumed.
Separately, the NEA also clarified that ISS Catering Services was not responsible for the food poisoning incidents that took place at the Home Team Academy in 2008, and at the Singapore Grand Prix last year.
Instead, it was a separate company with a similar name - ISS CDCS Catering, which has been implicated in five food poisoning cases since 2008. In the incident at the Singapore Grand Prix, 70 people fell ill.
As a result, the company was suspended for two weeks in January 2010, and given 12 demerit points
-CNA/ac
