Chicken rice restaurant Pow Sing suspended over links to 29 gastroenteritis cases
SINGAPORE — Pow Sing Restaurant, a Serangoon Gardens restaurant known primarily for its chicken rice, has been ordered to suspend operations after several cases of gastroenteritis were traced to the food consumed there, and several hygiene lapses were identified.
As of July 12 , 29 cases were verified, and further investigations are ongoing, said the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Ministry of Health (MOH),and Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in a statement on Wednesday (July 13) evening.
The cases were reported between July 4 and July 11, and follow reports of other cases of illnesses linked to eateries. The suspension took effect yesterday. The restaurant is required to dispose of all ready-to-eat food, thawed food and perishable food items.
It must also conduct thorough cleaning and sanitising of its premises including equipment, utensils, work surfaces and toilets. The authorities said they were first notified of the cases on July 4 and had immediately conducted joint inspections of the restaurant’s premises the next day.
“Several hygiene lapses, including failure to maintain temperature records and allowing an unregistered food handler to prepare food were observed. The operator had been instructed to rectify them immediately,” they said in a joint statement.
On Monday, another four affected persons were identified, and there was “reason to suspect that there might be a continuing source of infection in the premises”, they said.
The AVA has collected food samples from Pow Sing Restaurant as part of the investigation, and laboratory tests are ongoing. The MOH has collected stool samples from the affected people and the restaurant’s food handlers have been sent for stool screening.
“Only food handlers who are tested to be free of food-poisoning pathogens and have re-attended and passed the Basic Food Hygiene Course will be allowed to resume work,” they said. “MOH and NEA will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The restaurant must also review and rectify the lapses in food preparation processes identified during the joint inspections.
The authorities added that NEA will take the necessary enforcement actions against the operator for the hygiene infringements.
Speaking to the media outside their Pow Sing Kitchen outlet nearby last night, restaurant director Lee Chin Soo said it is the first such incident in 33 years of operations and they are waiting to find out what went wrong.
“My staff have been with me for decades. I trust them and I’m here every day to keep an eye. It’s the first time we’ve had any problems. I’m puzzled and shocked.”
He added that the restaurant will take its responsibility to fix the problem and will be taking the suspension period to clean the outlet and carry out minor renovation.
In May, a “community outbreak” of stomach flu cases in the Owen Road area led to a two-day closure of Pek Kio Market and Food Centre.
A total of 180 cases were verified to be linked to the outbreak. In April, Goodwood Park Hotel’s bakery was suspended from operation after a spate of food poisoning cases was linked to the durian pastries sold there.
More than 180 people were affected after eating the popular durian pastries from the hotel’s bakery between March 15 and April 16. Last month, Prata Wala at shopping centre Nex had its licence suspended for two weeks for cockroach infestations. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JOY FANG