Public health authorities said yesterday the bakery chain can fire up the ovens at its Keppel Road factory, but the company is opting to take it slow for now. It will produce the dough used for its range of cakes and pastries, and keep them frozen for the time being. This means Prima's 39 outlets islandwide will continue to stay shut as the company wants to reopen only when it can offer its full range of products.

'We will continue to work closely with Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority and we look forward to getting the final green light to resume operations for our cake production unit,' said Ms Pansy Wong, the deputy general manager of Prima Food.

That will come when AVA is satisfied that hygiene standards are maintained. The factory will then be allowed to produce cakes with cream toppings and any other ingredients that are not baked.

The company's Keppel Road factory, which produced about 1,000 items a day, was shut down on Dec 4 after 203 people fell ill, with 15 needing to be hospitalised after eating PrimaDeli cakes tainted with the salmonella bug. Fourteen staff members from its factory and outlets also tested positive for the bug. The factory was cleaned and disinfected for 11 days before AVA declared it salmonella-free yesterday.

The company declined to reveal the losses suffered, but industry estimates put it at between $1 million and $2 million or more at Christmas time.

Preferring to look ahead was Mr Pal Singh, owner of the PrimaDeli franchise at Centrepoint, who said: 'We are informing our customers over the phone that we will be starting soon.'

sumathis@sph.com.sg

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