Vivian: If i eat with you, you need no worry, but if i didn't, then sorry, i can't guarantee your food is safe.
Aug 19, 2010
YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES: SINGAPORE 2010
Volunteers hit by diarrhea
IN A second food-related incident at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), 21 volunteers and staff workers fell ill after eating a catered lunch on Sunday.
The victims, who were on duty at East Coast Park and the Singapore Indoor Stadium during the triathlon and badminton competitions, suffered diarrhoea and abdominal pains after eating from a buffet spread. No one was hospitalised, and all have since recovered.
In a joint statement released yesterday, the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said they were working together to investigate the incident.
The SYOGOC said it was monitoring the situation and has been working closely with caterers to ensure that food hygiene standards were upheld at all venues.
Meanwhile, MOH said its investigations found that the victims had developed mild diarrhoea.
The NEA had inspected the kitchen of the caterer involved - Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Suntec) - and confirmed that hygiene and cleanliness standards and its processes were in order.
Suntec Singapore told The Straits Times that the buffet meal it had prepared featured chicken chop with orange sauce, egg tofu with shredded mushrooms, and cabbage with dried shrimp, among other things. It said there was no evidence the food it served was responsible, adding that it had prepared nearly 3,000 meals for eight other venues on the same day without incident.
'The NEA has conducted inspections at our kitchens before and during the Games and has found us to be compliant with all the stringent guidelines that are set,' a spokesman from Suntec Singapore said.
Yesterday, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, said he took the incident 'very, very seriously'.
Speaking on the sidelines of the swimming competition held at the Singapore Sports School, he said he understood that the organising committee had immediately contacted the relevant agencies, which investigated the caterer.
The key point, he said, was to 'act immediately, investigate fully, take the necessary actions'. He added that investigations would take some time. Dr Balakrishnan said he makes it a point to have a meal every day with the volunteers as a way of ensuring quality control.
He also gave this assurance: 'We will continue to do our best. In a massive operation like this, from time to time, problems will arise, but we will be completely forthright about it, we will do everything that is necessary, and we will prioritise the safety and the health of our volunteers and, of course, our athletes.'
When contacted, SYOGOC spokesman Jenny Foo declined to give more information on the incident. Last week, online chatter was sparked after a picture of a meal served to volunteers was posted online. Netizens criticised the meal, which comprised white rice, a piece of meat and six pieces of green beans, as being paltry. The caterer, Singapore Food Industries, has since promised to improve the quality of its offerings.
Aug 19, 2010
YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES: SINGAPORE 2010
Volunteers hit by diarrhea
IN A second food-related incident at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), 21 volunteers and staff workers fell ill after eating a catered lunch on Sunday.
The victims, who were on duty at East Coast Park and the Singapore Indoor Stadium during the triathlon and badminton competitions, suffered diarrhoea and abdominal pains after eating from a buffet spread. No one was hospitalised, and all have since recovered.
In a joint statement released yesterday, the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said they were working together to investigate the incident.
The SYOGOC said it was monitoring the situation and has been working closely with caterers to ensure that food hygiene standards were upheld at all venues.
Meanwhile, MOH said its investigations found that the victims had developed mild diarrhoea.
The NEA had inspected the kitchen of the caterer involved - Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Suntec) - and confirmed that hygiene and cleanliness standards and its processes were in order.
Suntec Singapore told The Straits Times that the buffet meal it had prepared featured chicken chop with orange sauce, egg tofu with shredded mushrooms, and cabbage with dried shrimp, among other things. It said there was no evidence the food it served was responsible, adding that it had prepared nearly 3,000 meals for eight other venues on the same day without incident.
'The NEA has conducted inspections at our kitchens before and during the Games and has found us to be compliant with all the stringent guidelines that are set,' a spokesman from Suntec Singapore said.
Yesterday, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, said he took the incident 'very, very seriously'.
Speaking on the sidelines of the swimming competition held at the Singapore Sports School, he said he understood that the organising committee had immediately contacted the relevant agencies, which investigated the caterer.
The key point, he said, was to 'act immediately, investigate fully, take the necessary actions'. He added that investigations would take some time. Dr Balakrishnan said he makes it a point to have a meal every day with the volunteers as a way of ensuring quality control.
He also gave this assurance: 'We will continue to do our best. In a massive operation like this, from time to time, problems will arise, but we will be completely forthright about it, we will do everything that is necessary, and we will prioritise the safety and the health of our volunteers and, of course, our athletes.'
When contacted, SYOGOC spokesman Jenny Foo declined to give more information on the incident. Last week, online chatter was sparked after a picture of a meal served to volunteers was posted online. Netizens criticised the meal, which comprised white rice, a piece of meat and six pieces of green beans, as being paltry. The caterer, Singapore Food Industries, has since promised to improve the quality of its offerings.
