Caterer linked to River Valley Primary School gastroenteritis incident fined $13,000

SINGAPORE – Catering firm Gourmetz has been fined $13,000 over food safety offences, which were discovered after pupils from River Valley Primary School suffered gastroenteritis after eating its food.

The caterer was operating the school’s canteen under the new central kitchen model for school meals.

It pleaded guilty to three charges on Oct 9. Another three charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

On Oct 9, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it and the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) received reports of gastroenteritis which affected 45 pupils at the school in January.

One was hospitalised, but has since recovered, said the agency.

Gourmetz has been serving five schools under the central kitchen model: River Valley Primary School, CHIJ (Kellock), Radin Mas Primary School, Blangah Rise Primary School and Outram Secondary School.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Oct 9 that it has issued Gourmetz a formal warning.

“We have made clear that any future serious or repeated food safety lapses would have serious consequences, including termination of service.”

But MOE said it has decided to allow Gourmetz to continue operating under the Central Kitchen Meal Model after it “carefully considered the circumstances of the case”, including safety measures implemented since the incident in January.

These include relocating to a larger central kitchen under the direct supervision of parent company Neo Group and hiring in-house food safety officers to conduct regular audits, said the ministry.

“The safety and well-being of students remain our utmost priority,” MOE said, adding that it will closely monitor Gourmetz’s performance to ensure strict compliance with SFA regulations.

CDA and SFA conducted a joint inspection of Gourmetz’s premises at 1 Enterprise Road, off Jln Boon Lay, on Jan 16 and found multiple food safety lapses.

The rubber gasket door of the meat chiller room was damaged, which could compromise the temperature of the room and affect the meat stored inside.

A built-in rack in the seafood chiller room was dirty with accumulated scum, and the ceiling of the vegetable chiller room was covered in black spots.

An inspection on Jan 28 found that the caterer had put false labels on bento sets, stating that the food was ready by 8.30am, when the meals were actually packed and ready earlier, at 6.48am.

Officers also found raw marinated chicken on dirty plastic pallets, and frozen pastries were left uncovered in a raw material freezer.

The SFA prosecutor sought a fine of $13,000 for the company, which was granted by the court.

The company representative who appeared in court on Oct 9 had nothing to say in mitigation.

SFA said all food operators should ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained and adhere to food safety requirements.

It added it will not hesitate to take enforcement action against food operators who violate the Sale of Food Act 1973 and the Sale of Food (Non-Retail Food Business) Regulations.

Members of the public who come across poor food safety practices in food establishments are advised not to patronise them and provide feedback to SFA via their online feedback form.