Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Protecting Students from Food Poisoning in Schools

Question:

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in view of the dwindling number of school canteen operators and with schools considering catered food for their students, what measures are in place to protect students who are much more vulnerable to food poisoning due to their weaker immune systems.

Answer:

1 Foodborne gastroenteritis incidents in schools were found to be linked to both food supplied by caterers and canteen stall holders, although given caterers’ higher volume of food distribution, they pose risks of larger scale foodborne illness incidents. 

2 The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) adopts a range of measures to safeguard food safety of catered food. All licensed food caterers, including those supplying food to school canteens, are required to comply with food safety requirements, such as training of all food handlers, maintaining cleanliness of premises, ensuring all catered food have a time-stamp indicating the date and time by which the food should be consumed, and appointing a Food Hygiene Officer to oversee and implement food safety measures.  

3 All licensed caterers are subjected to food safety inspections, with those having track records of past infringements and food safety-related feedback subjected to stepped-up surveillance. Caterers who are detected with food safety lapses may be given demerit points and those who accumulate more than 12 points within a year may be required to suspend their operations. SFA also regularly engages food caterers to promote awareness of measures to prevent common lapses detected in food poisoning incidents.

4 The Ministry of Education (MOE) works with school canteen operators to comply with SFA’s food safety standards and requirements. Schools regularly remind students on the importance of personal hygiene, such as the washing of hands before meals. Students also learn about food safety, food contamination, and the importance of consuming food within the stipulated timings, through Food and Consumer Education.