SINGAPORE: No salmonella was detected in food samples taken from the Itacho Sushi outlet at Jewel Changi Airport, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Friday (Dec 27).
However, during the inspection, a food handler was found to be unregistered and enforcement action will be taken against the operator for this lapse, SFA said.
Advertisement Advertisement SFA added that it inspected the Japanese food outlet on Dec 18 after it received feedback about an alleged food poisoning incident.
In a Facebook post, Itacho Sushi said the inspection was carried out following a complaint lodged by a diner it identified as Mr Wong.
The restaurant added that SFA has since confirmed that all food samples were found to be “satisfactory”.
“It is unfortunate that Mr Wong chose to widely publish his complaint on Facebook even before the results of the lab testing were completed, and this had caused unnecessary stress to our hard-working staff and our loyal customers. In his complaint, he even urged our customers to stay away from our outlets.
Advertisement Advertisement “We, however, refused to bow to his demand for compensation towards his pre-holiday expenditures and told him to wait until the SFA results were out,” the restaurant said on Facebook.
Itacho Sushi added that food hygiene is of “utmost importance” and that it will continue to upkeep its “high standards in food safety and quality”.
The Japanese food outlet also thanked customers who “refused to believe in the complaint” and continued to support the restaurant during the Christmas period.
Facebook user Marc Wong said in a post that his wife had fallen ill after dining at the Jewel Changi Airport Itacho Sushi outlet.
In his post, which was no longer available on Facebook and had been shared more than 2,000 times before it was removed, Mr Wong said that he and his wife had dinner at the outlet on Dec 13.
“The very next day, she started experiencing fever and stomachache but chose to self-medicate not thinking too much about it,” he added.
On Dec 15, Mr Wong said his wife was admitted to Mount Alvernia hospital due to a high fever.
He added that his wife was diagnosed with salmonella on Dec 17 and experienced “very bad pain with stomach cramps” for the next three days.
“The doctor confirmed that Salmonella was caused by her consumption of uncooked meat or seafood … The only uncooked food she had was from Itacho Sushi. She did not eat any uncooked meat or seafood before or after our dinner,” he said.
Mr Wong added that he had also called the restaurant about the incident, and said they claimed that it “may not be [their] fault as it was only one case, and we won't be responsible for it”.
In his Facebook post, Mr Wong also urged members of the public to avoid Itacho Sushi outlets until reassurance is given that such incidents will not happen again.
Salmonella bacteria can cause gastroenteritis, commonly known as food poisoning, as well as other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and fever.
Salmonella infection is caused by contaminated water or food, or the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or eggs.
SFA reminded food operators to adhere to good food hygiene and preparation practices.
Members of the public who come across any errant food operator can report the incident to SFA through its online feedback form or call the contact centre at 6805 2871.
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