CLEANSING CREW: A cleaning specialist appointed by Prima Food scours the company's food processing factory in Keppel Road. The facility is being meticulously disinfected. -- PHOTOS: COURTESY OF PRIMA FOODS

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The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the Health Ministry said yesterday that 153 people have become ill after eating the salmonella-laced cakes.

Another food handler at a PrimaDeli shop has tested positive for the bug, bringing the total number to eight infected workers: six workers at the factory where the baking is done and two at franchise outlets where the bread and cakes are sold.

Cake samples were also added to the list of tainted ingredients, on top of hazelnut and chocolate cream.

So far, PrimaDeli has received 117 calls on the hotline it has created to address customers' concerns, 6277-7171.

PrimaDeli, which is in the hot seat for causing the recent outbreak, said yesterday that it was stunned by the climbing figures.

Toddler hospitalised twice WHEN Nicole turned one two weeks ago, her family celebrated with a birthday cake from Prima Deli. But the happy occasion turned into a nightmare when two days later, Nicole's temperature shot through the roof and she was stricken with a severe case of diarrhoea. 'It was more serious than expected. She had diarrhoea up to 16 times a day, and a fever of 40 deg C,' her mother, Madam Alice Lim, 34, told The Straits Times. ... more

'When we were first informed by the Health Ministry, we were shocked by the number of our employees who were infected with salmonella, because for a factory with 120 people, that is quite high,' said Mr Kong Yong Yeo, chief operating officer of Prima Food, PrimaDeli's parent company.

The company has put in place a slew of measures to try to rectify the situation and prevent a recurrence, including reviewing food handling measures, retraining staff on hygiene, more health checks for for staff as well as more frequent tests on ingredients.

The customers' interests come first, Mr Kong said. 'Right now, we have to put in place processes to make sure that we will not fail them.

'We cannot take things as they are. We have to rebuild the whole food hygiene standard even though we thought we had met the requirements.'

Top on the list are new compulsory health checks for all 120 workers, which will include a new check for salmonella before anyone is hired and every year after that. Staff who are unwell will have to go through additional screening.

The food safety review will cover the company's entire food process, from incoming raw materials to production, right up to the 39 franchise outlets, so management can spot and fix any chinks in the armour.

Workers will get refresher sessions and workshops on proper food and personal hygiene.

'While you may have the processes in place, at the end of the day, human error could be the weak link, so I think we've got to start this retraining of the franchisees and our employees,' explained Mr Kong.

Meanwhile, the 1,080 sq m manufacturing centre on the 10th floor of Prima's Keppel Road factory is being painstakingly disinfected.

About half the area has been completed, with AVA officers ready to take swabs for testing after the cleaning and disinfection are done.

The facility - which had churned out 1,000 cakes a day - and the cake shops are expected to remain shut until at least next Friday.

diothman@sph.com.sg