Four people experienced diarrhoea after eating hot pot fruit plate, woman fainted and required hospital care

SINGAPORE: A man complained that four of his family members experienced severe diarrhoea after eating the same fruit plate at a hotpot restaurant to celebrate the birthday of their great aunt. His sister even needed to be hospitalised due to dehydration. 

The 36-year-old man, together with 11 of his family members, was celebrating the 80th birthday of their great aunt. After returning home from dinner, four of them began experiencing stomach aches and frequent diarrhoea. The man pointed out that the four people who felt ill were his father, younger brother, younger sister, and uncle. 

He observed that the four of them ate from the same fruit plate provided by the restaurant. The other family members who did not eat the fruit plate did not feel unwell. This ruled out the possibility of becoming sick due to eating uncooked hot pot ingredients. 

The man admitted that four of them had severe diarrhoea and that his sister’s condition was the most serious; she started having diarrhoea at night and kept running to the toilet the next morning. 

“She felt dizzy after using the toilet. Her father, who was resting in the room, heard her shouting and found her collapsed on the ground. He was shocked and immediately called an ambulance,” the man declared. Due to this, she was rushed to the emergency. 

His sister continued to suffer diarrhoea after being discharged from the hospital and needed more days before she was fully recovered. The medical expenses for his sister totalled approximately S$700.

The man had tried to contact the restaurant through email and their website, but received no response. He stated that he is dissatisfied with the way the restaurant handled the issue and reported the incident to the authorities. 

He admitted that they are not asking for compensation but an explanation from the restaurant because it is “unacceptable that a customer’s food poisoning was not promptly addressed and taken seriously.” 　

The restaurant later on apologised to the man and promised to investigate and pay for his sister’s medical expenses.

According to the National Environment Agency, contaminated raw fruits and vegetables, and their juices, can cause foodborne sickness. With this, food workers in stores and restaurants have a big role in serving these foods safely to customers. 

To reduce contamination, food workers should have clean hands and surfaces when preparing. They should also properly wash produce, store them at the right temperatures, and avoid contact with raw meat or contaminated utensils.