Investigations ongoing after 187 gastroenteritis cases linked to Total Defence Day ready-to-eat meals

SINGAPORE: Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said in Parliament on Tuesday (Mar 4) that 187 cases of gastroenteritis have been reported in connection with the ready-to-eat (RTE) meals distributed as part of a Total Defence Day exercise last month. Among them, there were 184 cases from schools, two from active ageing centres and one from a public agency.

The total number of people who came down with gastroenteritis is around 0.16 per cent of all participants, the minister added.

On Feb 18, around 20 students from the Singapore School of the Arts (SOTA) were affected by food poisoning symptoms after consuming ready-to-eat meals from local food supplier SATS. The students exhibited symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea, and nausea on Feb 18 following consumption of the meals. After initial investigations, authorities said the incident at SOTA had been an isolated one.

“All affected individuals have received the necessary medical attention and have since recovered. None were hospitalised,” Ms Fu said on March 4, adding that when the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) tested samples of the meals, no food-borne pathogens were found.

Nevertheless, a comprehensive investigation into the incident is being carried out by the Ministry of Health and SFA. Should any lapses be detected, the authorities will take the necessary corrective and enforcement actions, the minister added.

The meals had been distributed as part of the Food Resilience Preparedness Programme and were given to over 100,000 students and teachers in more than 90 schools across Singapore. More than 8,000 senior citizens also received the meals through 111 Active Ageing Centres.

These meals were specifically designed for national emergencies as part of the Total Defence Day exercise and intended to simulate scenarios involving power outages and food supply disruptions.

SATS, which supplied the meals, produces a range of options that can be eaten at room temperature without the need for refrigeration or reheating, with a shelf life of up to eight months.

The meals were supposed to have been distributed between Feb 15 and Feb 28, but the authorities decided to halt the distribution pending investigations into the SOTA cases. They also looked into whether others had been affected.

Ms Fu said in Parliament that SATS is required to meet all the safety requirements set by the SFA, which includes cleanliness and food safety training for workers, and also undergoes food safety inspections.

“SFA will conduct an after-action review to draw from and learn from the lessons from this episode. SFA will continue to engage stakeholders, including schools, food businesses and community partners on our FRPP,” added Ms Fu. /TISG

Featured image by DepositPhotos (for illustrative purposes only).

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