Peach Garden's Thomson Plaza branch suspended after 43 people fall ill with gastroenteritis
One of the diners told CNA that he and his wife had severe diarrhoea and vomiting, and still experienced "very severe stomach cramps" nearly a week after their meal there.
The Thomson Plaza branch of Chinese restaurant Peach Garden, pictured here on Apr 25, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Justin Ong Guang-Xi)
SINGAPORE: Operations at Peach Garden's Thomson Plaza branch have been suspended after more than 40 people fell ill with gastroenteritis symptoms.
"Two were hospitalised and are in stable condition," said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a media release on Wednesday (Apr 24).
The authorities added that they are investigating eight incidents of gastroenteritis affecting 43 people who consumed food prepared by the Chinese restaurant between Apr 17 and 18.
In view of the "suspected ongoing transmission", SFA has suspended operations at the Thomson Plaza outlet from Apr 22 until further notice.
"The licensee is required to clean and sanitise the premises, including equipment and utensils, and dispose of all ready-to-eat food and perishable food items," said SFA and MOH.
All food handlers working at the Thomson Plaza outlet are also required to re-attend and pass the Food Safety Course Level 1 and test negative for foodborne pathogens before they can resume work.
The appointed food hygiene officer working at the restaurant must re-attend and pass the Food Safety Course Level 3 before resuming his or her role.
Peach Garden, a popular restaurant chain, operates six outlets in Singapore, comprising fine dining and casual dining concepts.
"SFA would like to remind food operators to observe good food and personal hygiene practices at all times," the agency said.
"SFA will not hesitate to take firm action against anyone found to be in violation of the Environmental Public Health Act."
When CNA visited Peach Garden at Thomson Plaza at 11am on Thursday, the restaurant was partially shuttered, and staff members were seen cleaning dinnerware inside.
When approached, they declined comment. One employee at the front desk said that the restaurant’s manager had stipulated that the restaurant would not be accepting interviews until SFA’s investigations are complete.
SEVERE DIARRHOEA, VOMITING
A 33-year-old man told CNA that most of his family members fell ill after they visited the outlet on Apr 18.
Some had diarrhoea and vomiting that same night while others began to feel sick the next day, said the man who wanted to remain anonymous.
He also noted that both he and his wife had fevers above 39.5 degrees Celsius.
"Our blood pressure was really low. We had severe diarrhoea, vomiting," he recounted, adding that they went to the accident and emergency department (A&E) on the advice of their general practitioner.
In total, the man said he and his wife as well as two other adult family members were admitted to hospital.
"No one has fully recovered," he said on Wednesday evening, nearly a week after their visit to the restaurant. He said that he and his wife were still experiencing "very severe stomach cramps".
He told CNA in an update on Thursday that three of his family members were admitted to A&E and were later discharged after getting intravenous (IV) drips.
The man also said that when he visited the restaurant’s Google Reviews page, he found similar complaints from people who purportedly visited on Apr 17 and 18.
The man added that when he contacted SFA on Apr 23, he was told that there were already more than thirty similar cases.
