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Singapore

Minor lapses with major consequences: How food poisoning outbreaks can happen

With food safety in the spotlight following high-profile food poisoning cases, CNA’s Deep Dive podcast discusses the problem with two industry veterans.

Minor lapses with major consequences: How food poisoning outbreaks can happen

Image of a person having food poisoning. (Illustration: iStock/Blueastro)

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SINGAPORE: Ms Chris Low is the most unwelcome individual at the kitchens of catering firms Purple Sage and Rasel Catering.

As their creative director and a qualified food hygiene officer, she does surprise checks on the kitchen employees. 

“They really detest me, because I will go around with glo germ gel,” she said, referring to a tool she uses to detect if employees’ hands are clean.

“It heightens food safety. So you let them know that ‘hey, the management is looking at it … so please do not trifle with this food safety’,” she told CNA’s Deep Dive podcast

Caterers’ food safety has been thrown into the spotlight on the back of food poisoning outbreaks in the past few months. 

Most recently, Stamford Catering Services’ food business operations were suspended after 51 people got food poisoning. The authorities lifted the suspension on Wednesday (Oct 30) after the company implemented required measures like sanitising the premises.

Symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and fever.

Ms Low said that while her firm has not been involved in these incidents, all it takes for them to happen are minor lapses.

Most of the time, food is contaminated due to poor hygiene by food handlers, said food safety expert Richard Khaw.

This can happen anytime in the process of catering and can even stem from a seemingly simple matter of forgetting to wash hands, added the deputy director of the School of Applied Sciences at Nanyang Polytechnic.

“That's why sometimes it comes unnoticed. You won't realise because some minor lapses may happen along the way, or (it could be a case of) ‘I forgot to wash my hand before I touched the food ingredient or end product’,” said Dr Khaw, who was also on the Deep Dive show.

THE PROBLEM OF BEING TOO BUSY

One reason for skipping important aspects of hygiene could be caterers taking on more than they can chew, said Ms Low, who has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. 

“There are standard operating procedures to follow. But sometimes, when it comes to peak periods (and) last-minute orders … food handlers may compromise on processes,” she said. 

For instance, instead of thawing poultry in the chiller, which would take longer, they may opt to defrost it in open air instead. This can lead to contamination.

Dr Khaw, who has more than 15 years’ experience in food safety management and lab accreditation, said food safety issues arise when ingredients are not thoroughly thawed and chefs do not check food temperatures when cooking.

“(If) the core temperature of the food product didn't reach the 60 degrees Celsius and above requirement, that may cause higher risk of food poisoning,” he said.

Even though food handlers are required to wear masks or spit guards, they may forget when they are too busy, he added.

Another possibility is failing to clean equipment with sanitiser, resulting in them becoming contaminated with bacteria, and passing them onto food items, said Ms Low.

IS IT ALWAYS THE CATERER’S FAULT?

While it is against the law to hire employees who do not have food hygiene training, some caterers may continue to do so, she added.

“But most caterers will check - even temporary staff - that they have gone through this food hygiene test,” said Dr Khaw.

“Even if you are involved in just cutting vegetables or scooping dishes at the buffet line, it is also required to have this (food safety certificate) as well.”

The industry veterans said it is not always caterers who are to blame for food poisoning cases.

“There are a lot of factors involved. First, it may be because the ingredient source may not be clean. I have seen cases where baby squid -  it has very high bacteria. Even if you cook it above 180 degrees Celsius, you cannot kill it,” Ms Low said. 

She added that such situations can be overcome by requesting for a certificate of analysis that will show the bacteria count for the batch of the food. However, not all caterers practise that.

(From L-R) Crispina Robert, Steven Chia, creative director of Purple Sage and Rasel Catering Chris Loh, and Dr Richard Khaw, deputy director of the School of Applied Sciences at Nanyang Polytechnic. (Photo: CNA/Junaini Johari)

Dr Khaw noted how some bacteria, such as bacillus cereus, are heat-resistant. This means that even when they are treated with high heat, they will protect themselves by forming spores and multiplying at ideal temperatures.

The bacteria - which can be found in soil, vegetation and in the intestinal tracts of insects and mammals - commonly finds its way into fried rice, he said. 

According to the Singapore Food Agency’s website, food-borne incidents caused by the bacterium can be minimised by employing food safety practices such as washing vegetables thoroughly to remove soil, consuming food as soon as possible and keeping raw and cooked food separately. 

WHAT CAN EVENT ORGANISERS AND THE PUBLIC DO?

Ms Low said that one way that people can avoid food poisoning incidents is to choose a reliable caterer and keep their expectations reasonable.

“Do not give caterers last-minute increases in pax. They always say ‘can’ … but not all caterers are big enough to absorb the increase,” she said.

While her kitchens are able to accommodate such changes, she generally cautioned clients to give caterers ample notice.

Dr Khaw added that people should not bring home food from a buffet to eat it.

“Even if you reheat, if the food is contaminated during the four hours …. then you may not have reheated for (long enough) or temperature high enough to kill whatever … bacteria. So we don't advise you to do that,” he cautioned. 

Source: CNA/ja(lt)

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