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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 Food'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
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