Pat's Schoolhouse pupils, staff hit by food poisoning

QX179R SG

SEVEN children from Pat's Schoolhouse have been hospitalised for food poisoning, and another 211 children and seven teachers are ill with related symptoms.

They fell ill after eating food from caterer Mum's Kitchen Catering, whose licence has been temporarily suspended by the National Environment Agency (NEA) pending the outcome of investigations.

NEA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a joint press statement on Thursday that the catering company had been fined for lapses in a food poisoning incident in December last year, when 35 people attending a company function came down with diarrhoea and started vomiting.

In this case, the children and teachers from six of the group's 14 centres have come down with symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and fever.

The six centres are in Halifax Road, Lim Ah Pin Road, Whitley Road, Claymore Road, Mount Emily and Jalan Ulu Siglap.

The food served in Pat's Schoolhouse, which has 2,000 children ranging from infants to six-year-olds across its 14 centres, is centrally prepared by Mum's Kitchen Catering. The children affected by the food poisoning were aged two to six.

-- ST

Gus.chong SG

SEVEN children from Pat's Schoolhouse have been hospitalised for food poisoning, and another 211 children and seven teachers are ill with related symptoms.

They fell ill after eating food from caterer Mum's Kitchen Catering, whose licence has been temporarily suspended by the National Environment Agency (NEA) pending the outcome of investigations.

In this case, the children and teachers from six of the group's 14 centres have come down with symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and fever.

The six centres are in Halifax Road, Lim Ah Pin Road, Whitley Road, Claymore Road, Mount Emily and Jalan Ulu Siglap.

-- ST

I had finished typing the extension, I will post the update now.

alize SG

expats affected, we can expect investigation unlike YOG volunteers.

Gus.chong SG

SEVEN children from Pat's Schoolhouse have been hospitalised for food poisoning, and another 211 children and seven teachers are ill with related symptoms.

They fell ill after eating food from caterer Mum's Kitchen Catering, whose licence has been temporarily suspended by the National Environment Agency (NEA) pending the outcome of investigations.

In this case, the children and teachers from six of the group's 14 centres have come down with symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and fever.

The six centres are in Halifax Road, Lim Ah Pin Road, Whitley Road, Claymore Road, Mount Emily and Jalan Ulu Siglap.

The school outsourced its food preparation to "enhance opreational efficiency and ensure a consistent quality of food across the different centres", said its senior operations manager Julia Teo.

It has suspended the caterer's services pending the completion of investigations. Meals are, for the time being, being prepared at the individual schools.

On Tuesday, the children had seafood spaghetti with marinara sauce for lunch, and the teachers had mee goreng, or fried noodles.

The following day, up to half the children in some classes did not show up, and parents were calling the teachers to say their children are ill.

MOH and NEA conducted joint inspections at the caterer's premises and found a dirty refrigerator door lining but did not uncover other lapses in the food preparation and storage areas.

Mum's Kitchen Catering has been instructed to disinfect its premises and all items used in the preparation and storage of food.

Mrs Teo said all parents had been told to monitor their children's health and to inform the principal if their children came down with symptoms such as prolonged vomiting, diarrhoea or fever.

The operations manager of the catering company, Mr Darren Toh, said the centralised kitchen in Bedok North was sterilised yesterday, and a committee has been set up to look into what happened.

He said the lunch menu is prepared by 9.30am daily and delivered in four vehicles within the hour to Pat's Schoolhouse centres.

The caterer has been supplying food to Pat's Schoolhouse since last July.

Mr Toh said: "We are doing our checks now and will find out what happened.

He said the same ingredients also went into the food served to the caterer's other clients - and no one elsewhere has fallen ill.

When The Straits Times visited the Pat's Schoolhouse centre in Lim Ah Pin Road yesterday, two children who appeared ill were waiting for their family members to take them home.

Worried parents said yesterday that they were taking no chances.

Mrs Y.H. Lee, 39, a magazine designer, took her three-year-old daughter Yong Yong, who had a 40 deg C fever, to the emergency department at KK Women's and Children's Hospital yesterday evening. The girl had also vomited four times.

"She kept throwing up every time she ate and is not drinking much at all," said Mrs Lee.

Another parent, Mrs Eleen Boey, 43, who owns her own business, has two children in Pat's Schoolhouse in Lim Ah Pin Road. Her daughter Jun Xin, aged six and in Kindergarten 2, is down with food poisoning, but her son Jun Wei, a year younger, seems unaffected.

Jun Xin had fever and vomited twice on Wednesday and twice in the middle of the night. She developed diarrhoea yesterday.

"Her teacher told me half the class was down. I don't think she ate a lot of the spaghetti because she doesn't really like Western food. So I hope she'll recover soon," said Mrs Boey.

Calling for a thorough investigation into the cause of the food poisoning, she added: "I hope it's a one-off case. I'm concerned, but more importantly, it's what the school does about it. I hope there will be regular checks on caterers and into hygiene issues."

Doctors advised parents to seek medical help if their children's symptoms become severe, for instance, if they feel severe pain, are unable to keep food or drinks down, pass blood in their stoold or are lethargic.

Dr Terence Tan, 42, a paediatrician at Mount Alvernia Hospital, said children tend to be worse hit because they dehydrate faster.

Dehydration is the main problem, so if they are hospitalised, it is usually so they can be put on an intravenous drip to keep them hydrated. This is necessary if the diarrhoea of vomiting is very bad, he said.

(Taken from The Straits Times, Friday, 13 May 2011, Page A16)

QX179R SG

More kids hospitalised in food poisoning incident

SINGAPORE : More children have been hospitalised following a food poisoning incident at Pat's Schoolhouse.

The school said 23 people have been warded after they fell ill, eating food catered by an external vendor. They include children aged between three and six and a teacher.

The Health Ministry said a total of 240 children and 8 teachers were affected, most of whom have recovered.

Seventeen of the affected cases are now receiving treatment in hospital, including the seven reported earlier. They are in stable condition.

Six of Pat's Schoolhouse's 14 branches were affected by the incident on May 10.

The vendor, Mum's Kitchen Catering, has since been suspended.

The caterer had a history of food hygiene lapses - it was fined last December, when 35 people fell ill after a dinner at a company function.

The school said it will use an in-house caterer, at least for the next six months.

One affected parent told Channel NewsAsia that her two children experienced diarrhoea and vomiting after returning from the Schoolhouse's Halifax Road branch.

A letter from the school said measures have been taken to step up hygiene practices.

The school is also in touch with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Karen Liau, a homemaker, said: "Will they continue with this caterer although they have suspended it? They have some history on hygiene problems, and this is not the first time, so I think they should actually drop this vendor.

"I think they should actually have done some checks. I'm not sure how they go about selecting vendors like that, because for kids, their tummies are really sensitive. Hygiene is vital."

A spokesperson from Pat's Schoolhouse said: "At the time the caterer was engaged eight months ago, the caterer had a good track record and registered as a licensed caterer with NEA. Until this incident, we were not aware of the food poisoning case linked to Mum's Kitchen."

- CNA/al

QX179R SG

A SECOND preschool served by catering firm Mum's Kitchen Catering has been hit by food poisoning.

Twenty-two pupils and eight teachers have fallen ill at The Children's Place in Kay Siang Road.

-- ST

Gus.chong SG

A SECOND preschool served by catering firm Mum's Kitchen Catering has been hit by food poisoning.

Twenty-two pupils and eight teachers have fallen ill at The Children's Place in Kay Siang Road.

Meanwhile, another 15 children from Pat's Schoolhouse, the childcare chain affected on Tuesday, have been hospitalised.

It brings the total number of its pupils warded to 22. One teacher has also been hospitalised and about 300 children reported ill with related symptoms after eating a meal of seafood spaghetti. Forty-seven of them have since recovered.

The Straits Times understands that those in hospital have severe symptoms of food poisoning such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and fever - but their condition is not life-threatening.

Mum's Kitchen Catering's licence has been temporarily suspended by the National Environment Agency pending the outcome of investigations. Its central kitchen is located in Bedok North.

Those affected at Pat's Schoolhouse were mostly aged two to six, and were from six centres in Halifax Road, Lim Ah Pin Road, Whitley Road, Claymore Road, Mount Emily and Jalan Ulu Siglap.

Those in hospital come mainly from two centres - Halifax Road and Lim Ah Pin Road in Serangoon.

Ms Tan Leng Na, principal of the Halifax Road branch, said Tuesday's lunch was delivered between 10.15am and 11am and kept in the kitchen before it was served from 11.30am to 11.45am.

Among the new hospital admissions was three-year-old Kayden Goh, who had been having diarrhoea every hour. He was admitted to hospital on Thursday night and was on an intravenous drip as he did not want to eat or drink anything.

His father Vincent Goh, 39, who works in sales, said Kayden started having diarrhoea after he returned home from school on Tuesday evening.

It got progressively worse, and Mr Goh and his wife Synde, 37, took him to the hospital when his fever rose to about 40 deg C on Thursday.

Mr Goh said he and his wife were initially very upset. "But we calmed down later as the school has been open and apologetic," he said. "However, we would still like to find out what went wrong."

Pat's Schoolhouse founder Patricia Koh decided to cut short her work trip in the United States. She told The Straits Times she has been getting regular updates on the situation but decided to return. "My team is working very hard and I want to be here for them. I'm worried for the children but appreciate that the parents have been very supportive."

She added that this was the first outbreak of food poisoning in the chain's 23-year history, and it "will take care of all the medical claims as it is our responsibility".

The centres are now preparing the meals in-house. "If the investigations show that Mum's Kitchen is at fault, we will terminate their service," she said.

(Taken from The Straits Times, Saturday, May 14 2011, Page A22)

Gus.chong SG

More preschoolers from Pat's Schoolhouse centres have fallen ill, while the childcare chain acted within two days to terminate the services of its caterer, Mum's Kitchen Catering.

In a statement to the media yesterday, the chain said: "Since May 12, all the meals for Pat's Schoolhouse centres have been prepared by their in-house cooks."

"This arrangement will continue until the company has completed its review of options for preparation of meals and solicited feedback from parents."

To date, a total of 346 children from eight of the chain's 14 centres - as well as seven teachers - have been hit with symptoms of food poisoning, including vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and fever. The first cases occurred last Tuesday. Not all of those who have fallen sick have been hospitalised.

The National Environment Agency last Thursday temporarily suspended the caterer's licence as soon as it was notified. Its investigations are ongoing.

Between Friday and yesterday, another eight children were hospitalised.

Meanwhile, of the original 23 cases that resulted in hospitalisation, four children and one teacher have recovered and have been discharged from hospital.

The number of victims who are still warded in 26, including the most recent cases. All are in stable condition.

The director of the chain, Mrs Patricia Koh, has cut short a work trip to the United States. She was back in Singapore yesterday.

"Parents can be assured of our full support in this difficult time," she said.

(Taken from The Sunday Times, May 15 2011, Home Page 17)

Honeybunz SG

Wah! Pats Schoolhouse is one branded and expensive schools. Parents paid so much and now the kids like that. Dun think the parents will let this go so easily.

QX179R SG

Food poisoning hits 3rd preschool served by Mum's Kitchen Catering

SINGAPORE: A third preschool served by Mum's Kitchen Catering has been hit by food poisoning.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said it was notified on Monday of another food poisoning incident involving eight children from the Learning Vision's Raffles Place branch at Cecil Street.

Together with the cases at Pat's Schoolhouse and the Children's Place at Kay Siang Road, a total of 235 children and 12 teachers have been affected.

MOH said 34 people were hospitalised, and 14 have since been discharged.

Mum's Kitchen Catering has had its operating licence suspended since last Thursday.

MOH said investigations are ongoing.

- CNA/ir

Gus.chong SG

Wah! Pats Schoolhouse is one branded and expensive schools. Parents paid so much and now the kids like that. Dun think the parents will let this go so easily.

The problem actually lies with the caterer. The caterer had to take full responsibility. Even if it lies with the preschool, they were only responsible to hire the wrong caterer.

alize SG

Exactly. The school chose the caterer, not the parents. So the school is responsible.

QX179R SG

STOOL samples of at least three children affected by the recent food-poisoning incident at eight preschools have tested positive for the bacteria salmonella.

But the Health Ministry stopped short of pinning down the bacteria as the cause of the mass food poisoning, saying investigations are not yet completed. A spokesman said: 'MOH takes a very serious view of food poisoning cases and follows a strict investigational protocol to determine the actual causes in each outbreak.'

-- ST

QX179R SG

Salmonella cause of food poisoning cases in pre-schools

SINGAPORE: The cause of a food poisoning outbreak in 10 pre-schools last month, which affected over 270 people has been traced to a bacteria called Salmonella Enteritidis.

It was found in the seafood marinara pasta supplied by Mum's Kitchen.

The company was the caterer for eight of Pat's Schoolhouse's preschools, the Children's Place at Kay Siang Road and Learning Visions at Raffles Place.

In a joint statement, the Health Ministry and National Environment Agency said the bacteria was found in the stool samples collected from the affected cases.

The organism is not native to seafood but is commonly found in items such as poultry and eggs.

Authorities said there may have been cross-contamination of the pasta with raw food during preparation at the caterer's premises.

Interviews with food handlers indicated the same trays were used to hold raw and cooked foods.

This may be a possible cause of cross-contamination, if the trays were not cleaned properly.

Authorities add meat, seafood and poultry were also being prepared in the same area, which increases the risk of cross-contamination.

Mum's Kitchen will be charged in court for selling food unfit for human consumption.

If convicted, it faces a fine of up to S$5,000.

This is on top of the earlier S$300 fine it was slapped with, including 4 demerit points.

The caterer's licence remains revoked.

It will have to comply with conditions before NEA lifts the suspension.

This includes hiring an independent food safety consultant to conduct a thorough review of its food safety management system; ensuring staff pass the necessary food hygiene courses, and implementing a system to ensure daily sanitization and disinfection of food handling equipment, including transport vehicles.

There will also be follow-up checks.

After the suspension is lifted, NEA will carry out regular checks at the two premises operated by Mum's Kitchen, including food sampling tests, to ensure the robustness of its enhanced food safety management system.

To reduce the recurrence of similar incidences, NEA will also step up its engagement with caterers.

It will issue advisories on best practices in food safety management, food storage, preparation and serving.

The advisories will stress the importance of separating the storage and preparation of raw and cooked food, the use of different sets of utensils when handling raw and cooked food, and the need for food handlers to wash their hands thoroughly after handling food.

NEA will also step up engagement with consumers.

From July, NEA will publish the food hygiene track records of all caterers on its website to allow the public to make better informed choices when buying catered meals.

- CNA/cc

QX179R SG

CROSS-CONTAMINATION between pasta and raw food may have been the cause of a mass outbreak of food poisoning at 10 preschools last month.

Investigations by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) traced the cause of the outbreak to seafood marinara pasta prepared by Mum's Kitchen Catering.

The MOH and NEA said in a joint press release on Wednesday that Salmonella enteritidis, a bacterium that can cause food poisoning, was found in stool samples collected from those who were affected.

Both parties added that there may have been cross-contamination of the pasta with raw food as the bacterium is not native to seafood but is commonly found in items like poultry and eggs.

Interviews with food handlers employed by the caterer revealed that the same trays were used to hold both raw and cooked foods. The trays, if not cleaned properly, could have caused cross-contamination. Meat, seafood and poultry were also prepared in the same area.

Some 271 children and teachers from the 10 preschools were reported to have fallen ill. Eight of the preschools are Pat's Schoolhouse centres and the other two are The Children's Place in Kay Siang Road and Learning Vision @ Raffles Place. All have recovered.

-- ST

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~ SG

jin jialat sia...