{
  "id": 7110204,
  "title": "Supplier to end classroom lunch portioning at Sha Tin school after 39 fall ill",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/supplier-to-end-classroom-lunch-portioning-at-sha-tin-school-after-39-7110204",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T13:02:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post-hong-kong",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3367363/supplier-end-classroom-lunch-portioning-sha-tin-primary-after-39-fall-ill"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A lunch supplier will cease classroom meal portioning at a Hong Kong primary school after 39 pupils and staff members fell ill, suspected to be food poisoning. Danny Catering Service announced the decision on Sunday, stating the incident was isolated and linked to their classroom portioning arrangement. They will now use individual, food-grade safe polypropylene containers for enhanced safety, starting Monday. The Centre for Health Protection is investigating a suspected food poisoning cluster, with 37 students and two staff members affected after eating the same type of lunchboxes at Baptist (Sha Tin Wai) Lui Ming Choi Primary School on Wednesday. Symptoms included stomach pain and diarrhea, occurring 8 to 22 hours post-consumption. Two pupils sought medical advice and were stable; others experienced mild symptoms. Inspections confirmed compliance with food safety standards. The supplier noted the arrangement lacked professional cooking and heat preservation equipment, which could allow bacteria to multiply rapidly. They plan to fully transition to individual containers from Monday. No other schools reported similar symptoms.",
  "summary": "A lunch supplier, Danny Catering Service, will stop portioning meals in classrooms at a Hong Kong primary school after 39 pupils and staff members fell ill. The incident occurred at Baptist (Sha Tin Wai) Lui Ming Choi Primary School in Sha Tin, where students and staff developed stomach pain and diarrhoea after eating lunchboxes.\n\nAccording to the Centre for Health Protection, 37 students and two staff members were affected, with symptoms appearing 8 to 22 hours after eating. The affected individuals, including 23 boys and 14 girls aged 5-11, and two employees aged 34 and 38, experienced stomach pain and diarrhoea. Two pupils sought medical advice and were in a stable condition, while the others had mild symptoms.\n\nDanny Catering Service stated that the incident was \"isolated\" and linked to the school's portioning arrangement, and did not affect its services at other locations. The company has decided to discontinue portioning meals in classrooms at the affected school to ensure student food safety and avoid potential cross-contamination or temperature fluctuation risks.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Supplier to end classroom lunch portioning at Sha Tin school after 39 fall ill",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/supplier-to-end-classroom-lunch-portioning-at-sha-tin-school-after-39",
        "published": "2026-09-13T13:02:45.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}