SINGAPORE: Thirty people who were at a wedding banquet at The St Regis Singapore hotel on Tanglin Road on September 3 fell ill with food poisoning. Fortunately, none of the individuals needed to be hospitalised after the incident, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said.
The SFA is quoted in Yahoo Southeast Asia as saying that the affected individuals developed gastroenteritis symptoms after the event held at the Caroline’s Mansion Ballroom at The St Regis Singapore hotel. The Straits Times reported on Thursday (Oct 5) that it understood that among those affected was the bride.
The incident is currently being investigated by the SFA and the Ministry of Health, with the SFA telling Yahoo Southeast Asia that “Food safety is a joint responsibility. While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices.” The agency added that it won’t “hesitate to take enforcement action against errant food operators”.
St Regis has responded to the incident as well, with a spokesperson for the hotel telling members of the media that St Regis was told that guests had got sick after attending the wedding lunch reception on Sept 3.
The hotel has since carried out an investigation of the incident, including “an examination by the hotel’s hygiene officer of the food preparation process,” and has submitted food samples for testing by a third-party accredited food safety expert.
The hotel spokesperson added that these samples were found to have complied with standards of food safety, and that it is cooperating with agencies investigating the incident.
“Our hotel takes hygiene and cleanliness very seriously, and the well-being of our guests is always our primary priority. We are regularly in communication with the wedding couple to extend care and the necessary support they may need,” the spokesperson said.
The St Regis Singapore hotel is not the only luxury establishment where food poisoning has recently occurred. On Dec 26, 2022, 10 people suffered from gastroenteritis symptoms after dining at The Line restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel on Orange Grove Road. Two of the people who fell ill had to be hospitalised.
This caused The Line’s food hygiene grade to be downgraded from A to C even though the SFA reported no hygiene lapses during the inspection it carried out on Dec 30, 2022.
”However, SFA will be taking enforcement action against the licensee for selling unclean food,” the SFA said, adding, “The premises will also be kept under surveillance.” The downgrading took effect on Sept 8 this year and will be up for review in 12 months.
/TISG