Prima Deli chocolate cakes likely cause of food poisoning
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Prima Deli chocolate cakes likely cause of food poisoning
SINGAPORE: If youÂ’ve bought chocolate cakes from bakery chain Prima Deli, you should throw them away.
The advice comes from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Agri—Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).
The two agencies say these cakes likely contain a bacteria called Salmonella Enteriditis, which has caused some people to get food poisoning.
Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause symptoms such as fever, watery diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
106 people have so far reported getting food poisoning after eating the cakes.
Six had to be hospitalised but have since been discharged. They tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis.
The onset of illness for the last case was on 26 November. The effects are felt usually six to 72 hours after eating contaminated food.
The MOH was first notified of a food poisoning incident on 23 November.
As more cases of food poisoning were reported, investigations showed that the common food item in the various incidents were Prima Deli chocolate cakes bought as early as 19 November.
MOH and AVA conducted joint inspections of Prima Food Pte Ltd which produces the chocolate cakes for all Prima Deli retail outlets.
Food and environmental samples were taken for laboratory analysis.
Preliminary results suggest Salmonella is the likely culprit.
Prima Food has been told to stop the production of all chocolate cakes and to recall all these cakes from distribution and sale.
Meanwhile, food handlers are being screened and investigations going on to determine the source of the contamination.
MOH says that illnesses from Salmonella poisoning usually last four to seven days and most patients recover with no long—term health effects. Severe cases may require hospitalisation for re—hydration and/or antibiotic treatment.
Anyone with symptoms after consuming these cakes should seek immediate medical attention.
For any enquiries, you can contact MOH at 1800—2254122 or AVA at 1800—2262250.
For further information on salmonellosis, you can visit MOH website at www.moh.gov.sg. — CNA/ir -
Usually found on egg surface. Correct me if I'm wrong.
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luckily I didnt buy chocolate cakes from Prima Deli
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chocolate cakes = da bian?
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Channel NewsAsia - Wednesday, December 5
PrimaDeli told to shut factory after food poisoning outbreak
SINGAPORE: The Agri—Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has ordered a PrimaDeli factory to shut down its operation.
AVA said that "in view of the food poisoning outbreak and severity of the situation, Prima Food is required to stop all operations at the factory with immediate effect until the outbreak is over".
Prima Food is the management of the home—grown bakery chain PrimaDeli.
In the meantime, the company is required to step up the hygiene and sanitation standards in the factory, and to review the food processing procedures thoroughly.
AVA will continue to carry out inspections at the factory, and the company will only be allowed to resume food production when all is safe.
At the same time, Prima Food has decided to temporarily close all retail outlets from Wednesday. Tentatively, retail operations are expected to resume on 11 December.
Prima Food also said it "regrets" that 106 people were taken ill after eating its contaminated chocolate cakes. It said the entire bakery processing facility is undergoing disinfection.
Initial investigations had found that one of its workers could have been a carrier of the Salmonella bacteria. However, he had shown no symptoms.
Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Of the 106 cases of food poisoning, six tested positive for Salmonella.
Some of the victims bought the cakes as early as 19 November and the latest case was reported on 26 November. Six were hospitalised but all have since been discharged.
This prompted the Health Ministry and AVA to issue an advisory on Monday, asking the public to throw away any unconsumed chocolate cakes bought from PrimaDeli.
Prima Food said 50 of its food handlers went for health screening last week to make sure they are medically fit and not carriers of any bacteria—borne conditions.
PrimaDeli has also recalled and discarded 400 chocolate cakes and is cooperating with the Health Ministry and AVA in their investigations.
However, with the disinfection and recall, PrimaDeli cakes are now in short supply. One franchisee said customers were quick to adapt. Many switched to vanilla sponge cakes and only a couple of customers have cancelled their orders.
For Jeffrey Voon, whose family of six suffered food poisoning after eating his motherÂ’s birthday cake bought from PrimaDeli, he wants an explanation and compensation for what they went through.
PrimaDeli has set up a hotline — 62777171 — to address the public’s concerns. — CNA/ir -
hor say liao...again, its chinese products being the main cause of food safety alarm...
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Birthday cake made 23 family members sick
They were among the many who were affected by contaminated chocolate cakes
Straits Times, The (Singapore)
Home, Pg H1
December 5, 2007
Author: Lee Hui Chieh
IT WAS a birthday celebration one family will never forget - for all the wrong reasons.
Of the 30 family members at the gathering, 23 of them suffered severe food poisoning after eating the birthday cake, a 1.5kg salmonella-laced chocolate cake from bakery chain Prima Deli.
Among those struck down was an 11-month-old baby, who was so ill he had to be admitted to the National University Hospital for three days.
The rest suffered fever, diarrhoea, shivering and even breathing difficulties, in between repeated visits to their family doctors.
Miss Anizah Yusof, 19, bought the cake from a Prima Deli franchise in Jurong Point for the Pasir Ris Park picnic, held two Sundays ago to celebrate the birthdays of her mother and her niece.
She said her four-day illness was the worst episode of diarrhoea she has ever had.
'I was also very giddy and couldn't walk properly, so I just lay down on the bed. It was also very difficult to breathe.'
She and her relatives were among 109 people here who, over the last two weeks, have come down with food poisoning from contaminated chocolate cakes baked by Prima Deli.
Of these, eight people were hospitalised, but have since been discharged.
Two of the bakery's workers have tested positive for the salmonella strain that infected over 100 customers.
The authorities have since ordered a recall of all its products, and shut down its manufacturing facility until it is shown to have cleaned up its act.
The 39 franchises selling its cakes and bread will also be shut down for at least a week.
The cakes appear to have been contaminated, probably through poor hygiene, by a type of bacteria known as salmonella enteritidis.
It is usually spread through food made from infected animals, or food which has been exposed to the stool of infected people.
Those infected experience symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pains, usually over four to seven days.
So far this year, 1,088 people here, including the latest victims, have been afflicted by food poisoning, caused by various bacteria and viruses such as norovirus and campylobacter. None has died.
This latest incident came to light when an affected family contacted the National Environment Agency, which regulates food handling hygiene, on Nov 23.
The agency informed the Health Ministry, which began investigations after more complaints of the cakes surfaced.
Investigations are still ongoing, but evidence suggests that food handlers may have spread the bacteria to the cakes.
Consumers should throw away any food from Prima Deli.
People should also wash their hands before preparing food, cook food thoroughly before eating it, and avoid mixing or storing raw food with cooked food.
Those with enquiries can call the Health Ministry on 1800-225-4122 or the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority on 1800-226-2250.
Miss Anizah said her family members are all back on their feet, and are now looking to see if they can get some compensation.
She called Prima Deli yesterday, and has been asked to submit the receipts of their medical treatment for consideration.
Recall extended to bread and other cakes; Prima initiates disinfection of factory premises
Straits Times, The (Singapore)
Home, Pg H2
December 5, 2007
Author: Diana Othman & Maria Almenoar
TWO food handlers from Prima Food have tested positive for the bacteria which infected at least 109 people in the latest food poisoning episode here.
The cases have been traced to chocolate cakes from the company's Prima Deli bakery outlets, and the authorities have broadened an initial recall on such cakes to include all bread, pastries and cakes made by Prima, sold at 39 outlets islandwide.
The company has also been ordered to stop operations at its Keppel Road factory pending investigations, and its franchises will shut for at least a week.
Prima had to 'stop all production as a precautionary measure as investigations are still ongoing to establish the source of contamination', said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) yesterday.
At Prima's factory yesterday, its 100 workers were sent home as operation 'disinfect and sanitise' swung into action. The process, which involves stripping away all surface materials and wiping all surfaces such as ceilings, floors, walls and production equipment with sanitiser concentrate, is likely to take two days, said a Prima spokesman.
AVA said, however, that the production facility will be allowed to reopen only when its inspectors have given it the thumbs up. AVA oversees food safety for both primary and processed food sold in Singapore.
With the Prima Deli outlets left with empty shelves, its management said it will close them from today until Tuesday.
Investigations into the food poisoning are continuing as the Ministry of Health (MOH) is still conducting tests on various samples from the factory.
The outbreak, first reported to MOH on Nov 23, eventually saw 109 people falling ill after eating Prima Deli's chocolate cakes.
Eight were hospitalised but have since been discharged. They tested positive for salmonella enteritidis, which causes symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Initial tests showed that the salmonella bacteria was a likely culprit.
Preliminary results singled out an employee who was discovered to be a carrier of the salmonella bacteria. Carriers show no symptoms of food poisoning, but can pass it on through stool.
The employee had handled butter cream, an ingredient used as a layer of cream in between sponges of the cakes. The cream is not cooked, unlike the cake itself, where baking kills the bacteria.
About 400 chocolate cakes have been recalled and disposed of since last Friday.
Ms Pansy Wong, deputy general manager of Prima Food, said this was the first such incident in the company's largely clean history.
Its workers have to wear a standard suit consisting of a long-sleeved shirt and trousers, a long plastic tunic, plastic gloves, a face mask and even a cloth headgear.
They also have to disinfect their hands by washing, scrubbing their nails and applying hand sanitisers.
The company is sending all its workers for salmonella testing, including the 50 involved in cake-making.
It has also created a hotline on 6277-7171 for affected customers.
The 39 Prima Deli franchises were told last night that they would be shut for at least a week.
Miss Serene Oon, manager at a Clementi West outlet estimated that she would lose more than $5,000.
'What to do? We have nothing to sell. We have no choice but to close,' she said.
The owner of the Centrepoint outlet, Mr Pal Singh, said he would only lose a 'few hundred dollars', as most of his sales were through cake orders.
He said he would try to stay open so that he can explain the situation to customers.
'It's not something I'm going to lose a night's sleep over,' he said.
Copyright, 2007, Singapore Press Holdings Limited -
Just one incident is enough to let their business suffer for at least a few months liao cos pple will definitely mark them one .
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thats de cake which my mdm bought for me when i celebrate my bd 1 week ago.
to come think of it.
i did actually lao sai for de whole weekend.
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Channel NewsAsia - Thursday, December 6
30 samples from Prima Food factory sent for testing
SINGAPORE : The temporary shutdown of PrimaDeli retail outlets took effect on Wednesday, and officials from the Agri—Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) have taken at least 30 samples from the Prima Food factory in Keppel Road for testing.
No stone is left unturned as officials try to get to the bottom of the food poisoning outbreak which affected 109 people, who had eaten chocolate cakes from PrimaDeli.
In a statement, the company said its Prima Taste products are manufactured in a separate and independent facility and so Prima Taste products are safe for consumption.
Officials from the AVA continue to investigate at what is believed to be the source of the food poisoning outbreak.
They collected samples of ingredients from the Prima Food factory, which has been ordered to shut down temporarily.
The samples will be tested and AVA will be reviewing the case using what is called the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system.
Diana Koh, Head (Food Factory Control), Agri—Food and Veterinary Authority, said: "When AVA is satisfied with the hygiene conditions of the factory, and that the HACCP system, which is the food safety system, has been strengthened, then AVA will consider lifting the suspension of the operations."
So far, two workers at the factory have tested positive for Salmonella, a bacteria that causes food poisoning.
In a statement, Prima FoodÂ’s General Manager Lewis Cheng assured that before employment, all PrimaDeli staff are medically screened and have met with the medical requirements stipulated by the authorities.
PrimaDeli has decided to close all its retail outlets temporarily. About 50 of its workers are on paid leave.
The company said it is "sorry and saddened" by the outbreak.
It promised to look into the incident and address it accordingly.
That is why it set up the hotline number 6277—7171.
Mr Cheng added that his company has been awarded the Grade A status for food hygiene, sanitation and processing by the AVA for the past 14 years consecutively.
He stressed that the company is committed to ensuring that this problem can be resolved expeditiously.
The Health Ministry was notified of the first food poisoning case on November 26. But the first of the over 100 people affected had bought the chocolate cakes a week earlier, on November 19.
Despite this incident, the AVA said the number of food poisoning cases in Singapore is low. Still, this is a serious matter and so it is doing everything to make sure that this does not happen again. — CNA/ms -
Channel NewsAsia - Friday, December 7
PrimaDeli hazelnut paste, chocolate cream test positive for bacteria
SINGAPORE : More people have been affected by food poisoning after consuming items from PrimaDeli.
In the latest update, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Agri—Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said that the number of cases has jumped to 143.
11 of them had to be hospitalised but all have been discharged, except one.
Four more food handlers at the PrimaDeli factory have also tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis, the bacteria that causes food poisoning. This brings the total to six.
In a statement, PrimaDeli said the two staff who earlier tested positive for Salmonella are receiving appropriate medical treatment.
One food handler in a PrimaDeli outlet has also tested positive for the bacteria.
AVA said another semi—processed product found at the now—closed Prima Food factory has tested positive for the bacteria.
Initial testing of food samples taken from the factory had shown that the hazelnut paste tested positive.
PrimaDeliÂ’s chocolate cream also tested positive for the bacteria.
Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
AVA is still investigating and the factory remains closed following a food poisoning outbreak.
In another development, PrimaDeli said it will look into compensation for customers who had food poisoning. It also added that it will attend to compensation matters to its franchisees that are affected by the temporary closure of its retail outlets.
At least 40 PrimaDeli retail outlets islandwide are undergoing a major cleanup.
Jordon Cheang, who manages three PrimaDeli outlets in Ang Mo Kio, Jurong West and Lau Pa Sat, estimates that he will suffer a loss of some S$30,000 over six days of closure.
"PrimaDeli has explained to us what happened and the corrective measures that they are going to undertake. They are working very closely with the MOH (Ministry of Health) and AVA to investigate what caused the bacteria and how to improve the corrective measures," said Cheang.
"If weÂ’re still not able to resume business by next week, ... PrimaDeliÂ’s management has assured us that they will provide adequate compensation. But the current priority is to work with the AVA and MOH to make sure that they can address this hygiene issue and to resume production as soon as possible," he added.
In a written reply to Channel NewsAsiaÂ’s queries, PrimaDeli said its factory should be thoroughly disinfected by early next week.
It added that this is just one of the processes, and the company is still working closely with the authorities to make sure that all its production procedures are in good shape before it can get the green light to operate again. — CNA /ls -
The strain of Salmonella is different. If correct the strain is Salmonella enteritidis . Thus it is not on the surface.Originally posted by dbowie:Usually found on egg surface. Correct me if I'm wrong.
More info: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salment_g.htm -
Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, December 8
PrimaDeli food poisoning cases increase to 153
SINGAPORE : According to the latest update from the Health Ministry and the Agri—Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), the total number of people affected by the PrimaDeli food poisoning outbreak is now 153.
PrimaDeli said it has now completed half of the cleaning and sanitisation process at its factory.
It also plans to strengthen its food safety plan to include more stringent checks on raw materials used and the health of its workers.
Six food handlers at its factory and two at its outlet tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis, a bacteria that causes food poisoning.
The AVA also found that the hazelnut paste and chocolate cream from the factory tested positive for the bacteria.
Meanwhile, the company is establishing a medical log book.
Kong Yong Yeo, COO, Prima Food, said, "...we want to come up with a medical log card so that we can...record the history of the workers...when they fall ill, what kind of illness (they have), that they’ve gone to see the doctor. We also want to encourage that if they are not well, they have to report (it), and not wait until they are really sick, because that would be a bit too late." — CNA/ms -
heh. i got one recruit eat prima deli cake i think. nvr book in from last sunday evening.
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NOOO!!!! MY WAFFLES AND CHOCOLATESSSSSSS!!!! my choco muffin and choco twist =.= and choco suga roll and rainbow donuts~ NOOO!! CURSE YOU SALMONELLA!!
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maybe a disgruntled employee crapped into the cake mixer. LOL.
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the employee to 'on' already lah. sick still go work. or maybe go pee nvr wash hand.
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rima deli re-open already or not?
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PrimaDeli may have to remain closed for at least another week
SINGAPORE: According to the Agri—Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), the Prima Food factory at Keppel Road may have to remain closed for at least another week.
On Monday morning, six AVA officers took 75 swabs from the factory at the request of Prima Food, following a food poisoning outbreak which affected over 150 people who consumed PrimaDeli products.
The swabs, which are taken from food—contact surfaces such as countertops and utensils, will be tested for bacteria levels and salmonella enteritidis, a bacterium which causes food poisoning.
At AVAÂ’s microbiological laboratory, each sample is divided onto nine test plates, which are then incubated at temperatures between 35 and 44.5 degrees Celsius to test for different bacteria.
AVA said a bacteria count of 100 per sample is considered normal.
At another lab, samples are incubated with an enrichment solution before undergoing DNA tests to check for salmonella.
AVAÂ’s deputy director of veterinary public health Dr Paul Chew said, "AVA will only consider granting approval for the factory to resume operations on the condition that the laboratory investigation of the swabs reveals absence of salmonella, and that hygiene indicator levels are satisfactory and comply with AVAÂ’s requirements."
But even if the lab results are satisfactory, PrimaDeli may not be able to resume operations just yet. AVA still needs to audit the factory’s Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan, which it said would take at least a week, to ensure that measures are in place to avoid a similar outbreak. — CNA/ac -
Oh no....
Hope this won't destroy the home grown brand... -
hmm. haha its ok, i only eat nonya cakes and dessert from bengawan solo!
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One week... I think one week for an audit is quite optimistic....Originally posted by SMRT Buses:But even if the lab results are satisfactory, PrimaDeli may not be able to resume operations just yet. AVA still needs to audit the factory’s Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan, which it said would take at least a week, to ensure that measures are in place to avoid a similar outbreak. — CNA/ac -
Prima factory meets hygiene requirements but food safety review pending
SINGAPORE: Bakery chain PrimaDeliÂ’s factory at Keppel Road has been found to be thorough in its cleaning and sanitation process.
The Agri—Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) says swabs taken by AVA on Monday turned up negative for salmonella.
The swabs also tested satisfactory for hygiene indicators.
AVA says this means Prima Food, which manages PrimaDeli, has been effective and thorough in cleaning and disinfecting the factory premises.
But Prima Food has yet to show that it meets the standards of an internationally recognised food safety system.
The system, called Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, is used by food processors and manufacturers to ensure their food products are safe for human consumption.
It is a science—based and systematic way of identifying the hazards at any stage of food operations.
AVA is now using this system to review PrimaÂ’s food safety.
Only when it is satisfied that Prima has met the standards, in addition to AVA’s hygiene requirements, will the factory be allowed to re—open, AVA says.
But no time frame was given as to when this might happen.
The factory was ordered to stay closed since the beginning of this month after 200 people fell ill from eating PrimaDeli food.
Of the eight workers from Prima Food who had tested positive for salmonella, three have been certified free of the bacteria. — 938LIVE. -
sounds like a sabotage to me. ending their business.
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nevermind, still got breadtalk and fourleaves.