Supplier to end classroom lunch portioning at Sha Tin school after 39 fall ill

Danny Catering Service said in a statement on Sunday to its school partners, parents and teachers that the incident was “isolated” and linked to the school’s portioning arrangement, and did not affect its services at other locations.

“To ensure student food safety and avoid potential cross-contamination or temperature fluctuation risks during classroom portioning, the company has decided to discontinue the ‘classroom on-site portion’ mode at the affected school from Monday,” it said.

The Centre for Health Protection said on Saturday that it was investigating a suspected food poisoning cluster, in which 37 students and two staff members at a Sha Tin school developed stomach pain and diarrhoea about eight to 22 hours after eating the same type of lunchboxes last Wednesday.

Twenty-three boys and 14 girls, aged between five and 11, from Baptist (Sha Tin Wai) Lui Ming Choi Primary School, and two employees, aged 34 and 38, were affected.