131 people down with gastroenteritis after consuming food from FoodTalks

SINGAPORE - In yet another case of food poisoning, 131 people have fallen ill after consuming food from a caterer. The victims included Kindergarten 2 pupils and teachers who were attending a learning camp.

In a joint statement, the National Environmental Agency (NEA), Ministry of Health (MOH) and Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said that they were investigating an outbreak of gastroenteritis traced to the consumption of food prepared by FoodTalks Caterer & Manufacturer, located at Shimei East Kitchen in Bedok on Monday (Nov 26).

As of Tuesday, 131 cases of gastroenteritis have been reported. None of the victims have been hospitalised.

MOH, NEA and AVA conducted a joint inspection of the caterer's premises on Tuesday. As part of the investigations, food handlers were sent for stool screening, and food and environmental samples were taken for testing, the agencies said.

According to Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao, the food poisoning victims had attended a learning camp organised by Busy Bees Asia.

It is the third in a series of high-profile food-poisoning incidents that have occurred in the last month.

Eighty-one people suffered gastroenteritis after eating bento boxes supplied by the River Valley outlet of restaurant Spize on Nov 6. A 38-year-old man died and at least 45 people were hospitalised.

Just last week, 190 people fell ill after eating food prepared by TungLok Catering at the Max Atria at Singapore Expo. More than 1,000 bento boxes were prepared for the Singapore Civil Defence Force's public exhibition Lifesavers' Connect, which was held from Nov 23 to 25. None of the 190 affected were hospitalised.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.