Birthday cake made 23 family
members sick
They were among the many who were affected by contaminated
chocolate cakes
Straits Times, The
(Singapore)
Home, Pg H1
December 5, 2007
Author: Lee Hui Chieh
IT WAS a birthday celebration one family will never forget - for
all the wrong reasons.
Of the 30 family members at the gathering, 23 of them suffered
severe food poisoning after eating the birthday cake, a 1.5kg
salmonella-laced chocolate cake from bakery chain Prima Deli.
Among those struck down was an 11-month-old baby, who was so ill he
had to be admitted to the National University Hospital for three
days.
The rest suffered fever, diarrhoea, shivering and even breathing
difficulties, in between repeated visits to their family
doctors.
Miss Anizah Yusof, 19, bought the cake from a Prima Deli franchise
in Jurong Point for the Pasir Ris Park picnic, held two Sundays ago
to celebrate the birthdays of her mother and her niece.
She said her four-day illness was the worst episode of diarrhoea
she has ever had.
'I was also very giddy and couldn't walk properly, so I just lay
down on the bed. It was also very difficult to breathe.'
She and her relatives were among 109 people here who, over the last
two weeks, have come down with food poisoning from contaminated
chocolate cakes baked by Prima Deli.
Of these, eight people were hospitalised, but have since been
discharged.
Two of the bakery's workers have tested positive for the salmonella
strain that infected over 100 customers.
The authorities have since ordered a recall of all its products,
and shut down its manufacturing facility until it is shown to have
cleaned up its act.
The 39 franchises selling its cakes and bread will also be shut
down for at least a week.
The cakes appear to have been contaminated, probably through poor
hygiene, by a type of bacteria known as salmonella
enteritidis.
It is usually spread through food made from infected animals, or
food which has been exposed to the stool of infected people.
Those infected experience symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea,
vomiting and stomach pains, usually over four to seven days.
So far this year, 1,088 people here, including the latest victims,
have been afflicted by food poisoning, caused by various bacteria
and viruses such as norovirus and campylobacter. None has
died.
This latest incident came to light when an affected family
contacted the National Environment Agency, which regulates food
handling hygiene, on Nov 23.
The agency informed the Health Ministry, which began investigations
after more complaints of the cakes surfaced.
Investigations are still ongoing, but evidence suggests that food
handlers may have spread the bacteria to the cakes.
Consumers should throw away any food from Prima Deli.
People should also wash their hands before preparing food, cook
food thoroughly before eating it, and avoid mixing or storing raw
food with cooked food.
Those with enquiries can call the Health Ministry on 1800-225-4122
or the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority on 1800-226-2250.
Miss Anizah said her family members are all back on their feet, and
are now looking to see if they can get some compensation.
She called Prima Deli yesterday, and has been asked to submit the
receipts of their medical treatment for consideration.
Recall extended to bread and
other cakes; Prima initiates disinfection of factory
premises
Straits Times, The
(Singapore)
Home, Pg H2
December 5, 2007
Author: Diana Othman & Maria Almenoar
TWO food handlers from Prima Food have tested positive for the
bacteria which infected at least 109 people in the latest food
poisoning episode here.
The cases have been traced to chocolate cakes from the company's
Prima Deli bakery outlets, and the authorities have broadened an
initial recall on such cakes to include all bread, pastries and
cakes made by Prima, sold at 39 outlets islandwide.
The company has also been ordered to stop operations at its Keppel
Road factory pending investigations, and its franchises will shut
for at least a week.
Prima had to 'stop all production as a precautionary measure as
investigations are still ongoing to establish the source of
contamination', said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA)
yesterday.
At Prima's factory yesterday, its 100 workers were sent home as
operation 'disinfect and sanitise' swung into action. The process,
which involves stripping away all surface materials and wiping all
surfaces such as ceilings, floors, walls and production equipment
with sanitiser concentrate, is likely to take two days, said a
Prima spokesman.
AVA said, however, that the production facility will be allowed to
reopen only when its inspectors have given it the thumbs up. AVA
oversees food safety for both primary and processed food sold in
Singapore.
With the Prima Deli outlets left with empty shelves, its management
said it will close them from today until Tuesday.
Investigations into the food poisoning are continuing as the
Ministry of Health (MOH) is still conducting tests on various
samples from the factory.
The outbreak, first reported to MOH on Nov 23, eventually saw 109
people falling ill after eating Prima Deli's chocolate cakes.
Eight were hospitalised but have since been discharged. They tested
positive for salmonella enteritidis, which causes symptoms such as
fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Initial tests showed that the salmonella bacteria was a likely
culprit.
Preliminary results singled out an employee who was discovered to
be a carrier of the salmonella bacteria. Carriers show no symptoms
of food poisoning, but can pass it on through stool.
The employee had handled butter cream, an ingredient used as a
layer of cream in between sponges of the cakes. The cream is not
cooked, unlike the cake itself, where baking kills the
bacteria.
About 400 chocolate cakes have been recalled and disposed of since
last Friday.
Ms Pansy Wong, deputy general manager of Prima Food, said this was
the first such incident in the company's largely clean
history.
Its workers have to wear a standard suit consisting of a
long-sleeved shirt and trousers, a long plastic tunic, plastic
gloves, a face mask and even a cloth headgear.
They also have to disinfect their hands by washing, scrubbing their
nails and applying hand sanitisers.
The company is sending all its workers for salmonella testing,
including the 50 involved in cake-making.
It has also created a hotline on 6277-7171 for affected
customers.
The 39 Prima Deli franchises were told last night that they would
be shut for at least a week.
Miss Serene Oon, manager at a Clementi West outlet estimated that
she would lose more than $5,000.
'What to do? We have nothing to sell. We have no choice but to
close,' she said.
The owner of the Centrepoint outlet, Mr Pal Singh, said he would
only lose a 'few hundred dollars', as most of his sales were
through cake orders.
He said he would try to stay open so that he can explain the
situation to customers.
'It's not something I'm going to lose a night's sleep over,' he
said.
Copyright, 2007, Singapore Press Holdings Limited
