Forty-two people became sick and four of them were taken to the hospital after they had food at Mandarin Orchard Singapore during the lunch banquet on Sunday, December 2. The authority stated on Wednesday that it is the case of food poisoning.
The Ministry of Health (MOH), the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) have confirmed that the officials are now investigating this incident.
In a statement, they said that "As of 9.30 am on Dec 5, 2018, 42 cases were reported to have developed symptoms of gastroenteritis. Four of the cases were hospitalised. MOH, NEA and AVA have conducted a joint inspection of the caterer's premises on Dec 4, 2018. As part of the investigations, food handlers were sent for stool screening, and food and environmental samples were taken for testing."
After the outbreak, Mandarin Orchard Singapore stated in a statement, "We have been reaching out to affected guests so that we can render support and assistance where we can and personally see how they are doing, as nothing could be more important to us at this point than their safety and well-being."
The hotel workers, who took handled the food on Sunday, have been temporarily suspended from their duties until the completion of their medical tests and the clearance by the authority.
It is very shocking that in November 2018, many Singaporeans have faced similar issues not only once but thrice.
The first food poisoning case took place at Spize's River Vally outlet, where the food was prepared for Deepavali celebration and after consuming the food 72 people fell sick. One of the victims, who was an auxiliary police officer died after the incident. However, the authority suspended the license of the restaurant due to hygiene-related issues.
The second incident occurred when 190 people became ill after eating food from TungLok Catering at Max Atria @ Singapore Expo.
The next food poisoning incident happened when 131 people, including kindergarten pupils and teachers at kid's camp, fell ill due to the consumption of food prepared by FoodTalks Caterer and Manufacturer.
