If you’re a frequent visitor to the Spize outlets at Simpang Bedok, and you pay attention to the hygiene grade, you would’ve noticed something different.
The outlets no longer carry an “A” for hygiene.
Instead, it’s now a “C”.
Here’s what happened.
Bedok Spize Outlets Food Poisoning Incidents
From 5 July to 6 July 2022, 15 people reportedly developed food poisoning after eating food prepared at Spize @ Simpang Bedok.
Thankfully, there was no hospitalisations.
However, this didn’t stop the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) from conducting a joint investigation into the incidents.
Findings From MOH & SFA Investigations
After investigations, Spize Continental Kitchen was found to have several lapses.
This include a “stained chopping board”, no proper segregation between ready-to-eat and raw food, and poor housekeeping.
In addition, the place was also being used for food processing despite having a license as a takeaway shop.
Aftermath
As a result, the hygiene grade of two Spize outlets were adjusted from “A” to “C” with effect from 10 March 2023.
The two outlets affected by this adjustment are:
- 338 Bedok Road (Spize Continental Kitchen)
- 284 Bedok Road (Spize)
A review of the grades will take place after one year.
The agency will also keep the outlets under surveillance.
Not The First Food Poisoning Case
If you’re wondering why the name Spize sounds so familiar, that might be because of the massive food poisoning case back in 2018.
63 people fell ill after eating food catered by Spize at a company event.
45 of them had to be hospitalised and one auxiliary police officer died eight days later.
The cause of death was sepsis and multi-organ failure following acute gastroenteritis.
By the way, just a fun fact: gastroenteritis isn’t food poisoning; it’s an inflammation of the stomach or intestine. However, if it is found to be caused by contaminated food, it is labelled as food poisoning.
When inspected, they detected faecal coliforms in samples of the food and on a chopping board and knife used for ready-to-eat food.
Salmonella bacteria was also found on various high-touch surfaces.
You can read more about the incident below:
- 10 Facts About the Spize Food Poisoning That Has Since Taken a Person’s Life
- 10 New Facts About the Spize Mass Food Poisoning That Even Has Faecal Bacteria on Its Premises
- Wife of Sats Officer Who Died Due to Food Poisoning Sues Spize for $631K
- Spize Fined $32K For Mass Food Poisoning Incident in 2018 That Led to a Man’s Death
SFA: Making Food Safe For Singapore
The SFA affirm their commitment to making food safe for consumption.
“SFA will be taking enforcement actions against the licensees for these lapses.”
“Food operators are reminded to adhere to good food hygiene and safety processes. Good hygiene practices such as the washing of hands before handling food can greatly reduce the incidence of gastroenteritis when adopted by all key stakeholders, including the industry and public.”
SFA affirms that they will conduct regular inspections of SFA-licensed food places and will not hesitate to enforce the regulations if necessary.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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