Thirty-nine pupils and staff fall ill after school lunch in Sha Tin food poisoning outbreak
SCMP · 1 SOURCES1 day ago1 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection is investigating a suspected food poisoning outbreak at Baptist (Sha Tin Wai) Lui Ming Choi Primary School in Sha Tin. Thirty-nine pupils and staff members fell ill after eating school lunches provided by an external supplier earlier this week. Health officials have pinpointed marinated chicken leg and penne as the likely culprit and ordered the supplier to cease operations for thorough sanitisation.
Key Points
- Twenty-three boys and 14 girls aged between five and 11, along with two employees aged 34 and 38, developed stomach pain and diarrhoea
- Symptoms appeared eight to 22 hours after consuming school lunches on Wednesday, with affected individuals eating the same lunchboxes
- Two pupils sought medical advice but did not require hospitalisation; others experienced mild symptoms
- The lunch supplier was ordered to suspend operations on Saturday for thorough cleaning and disinfection
- Officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department inspected the supplier's food storage, cooking procedures and hygiene, collecting samples for testing
Why It Matters
This incident highlights ongoing concerns about food safety standards among school lunch suppliers in Hong Kong, prompting authorities to strengthen oversight of catering operations serving educational institutions .
This incident highlights ongoing concerns about food safety standards among school lunch suppliers in Hong Kong, prompting authorities to strengthen oversight of catering operations serving educational institutions .