Caterer linked to River Valley Primary gastroenteritis incident fined $13,000
The company pleaded guilty to three charges under the Food Sale Act on Oct 9.
Gourmetz, a catering firm, has been fined $13,000 for food safety violations that led to an outbreak of gastroenteritis among pupils at River Valley Primary School. The offense occurred after the school’s canteen, managed under a new central kitchen model, served the contaminated food. The caterer pleaded guilty to three charges on October 9, with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) confirming 45 children fell ill in January, with one being hospitalized but has since recovered.
The investigation, conducted on January 16, revealed multiple lapses, notably a damaged rubber door seal on the meat chiller room that could compromise internal temperature control. Another issue arose on January 28 when false labels were discovered on bento sets, misleading parents about the meal's preparation time. The inspection also found unsanitary conditions, including dirty racks in the seafood chiller room, black spots on the ceiling of the vegetable chiller room, and raw marinated chicken stored on unclean surfaces.
The caterer was fined $13,000 by the court, with the SFA maintaining that food operators must uphold cleanliness and compliance with food safety regulations under the Sale of Food Act 1973 and the Sale of Food (Non-Retail Food Business) Regulations.
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