All PCF Sparkletots pre-schools to use in-house cooks following food poisoning outbreak

SINGAPORE: All 35 PCF Sparkletots pre-school centres previously served by external caterers will make a permanent shift to using in-house cooks, said PAP Community Foundation (PCF) in a briefing on Friday (Apr 5).

The move comes in the wake of a spate of food poisoning cases at 13 Sparkletots centres. A total of 251 people were affected, including 12 members of staff. 

As of Friday, all 31 hospitalised children have been discharged. Ninety per cent of the reported cases have since returned to school.

A spokesperson from PCF Sparkletots previously confirmed that all the affected centres had used the services of Kate’s Catering.

PCF on Friday said that 18 of the 35 pre-schools have made the switch to in-house cooks. These include 15 of the 16 centres that were served by Kate’s Catering. 

There is no set time frame for all pre-school centres to complete the transition, said PCF, adding that catering services at the remaining centres will stop once in-house cooks are hired or existing cooks redeployed. 

While PCF had engaged external caterers, it always intended to eventually use in-house cooks at its pre-schools, said the foundation. 

It first started using caterers during a six-month pilot programme in January 2018 as part of efforts to boost productivity. PCF said it had also faced difficulty in sourcing qualified cooks for its pre-schools. 

Currently, PCF requires all their in-house cooks and kitchen helpers to complete a basic food hygiene course conducted by trainers accredited by the National Environment Agency. This is in addition to PCF’s own in-house training.

Those who are part of the kitchen staff are also required to be physically fit.