Regarding two suspected food poisoning clusters announced on 12 August , the Centre for Food Safety has conducted a preliminary investigation and has the following recommendations for food premises' reference:

Food poisoning cases
  • The first cluster involved one male and two females, aged 15 to 52.
  • The second cluster involved two males and three females, aged 26 to 54.
Location of alleged food premises Fo Tan
Suspected incriminated food item

Sandwiches (takeaway)

Suspected contributing factors
  • Using unpasteurized eggs to make mayonnaise sauce.
  • Improper (faulty refrigerator) and prolonged (up to 3 days) storage of the sauce.
Advice
  • Use pasteurised eggs for food without heat treatment including mayonnaise sauce or with lightly cooked eggs.
  • Avoid using cracked eggs in preparing dishes.
  • Prepare egg dishes on a per-order basis and avoid leaving them under room temperature for a prolonged period of time.
  • Pre-cooked ingredients that will be used later should be stored at either above 60°C or 4°C or below.
  • Thoroughly cook egg dishes until the core temperatures reach 75oC or above.
  • Store and handle raw food and ready-to-eat food separately to avoid cross-contamination.
  • Pay special attention if pooled eggs (liquid eggs made by combining a number of cracked, raw eggs in a container) are used:
  • Store pooled liquid eggs in the refrigerator and only take out the amount as needed.
  • Use all pooled liquid egg on the day of pooling and avoid topping up by new eggs.
  • Be careful not to spill raw eggs on other food, surfaces or utensils.
  • Pooled liquid eggs should not be used to prepare raw or uncooked egg-containing dishes.
  • After cooking, hot dishes should be kept at above 60oC and cold dishes at 4oC or below if served at a later time.
  • Indicate the presence of raw or undercooked foods/ingredients in ready-to-eat items to help consumers make informed choices by providing a consumer advisory on labels or placards stating, for instance, “Consuming raw or undercooked foods may cause illness, especially for pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weakened immunity.”

Centre for Food Safety
15/8/2022