Authorities in Singapore have ordered the Total Defence food resilience program to be discontinued while a 20 case food poisoning investigation is looked into at the School of the Arts ( Sota ).
In a joint statement released on February 20, the Singapore Food Agency ( SFA ), Ministry of Education ( MOE), Agency for Integrated Care, and provider of food solutions Sats announced the suspension.
The affected students had eaten ready-to-eat foods as part of a meal endurance preparation session to celebrate Total Defense Day in schools, according to the statement.
Up until 19 February, 20 individuals reported signs of gastroenteritis, but few required hospitalisation.
Faculty have been closely monitoring pupils ‘ well-being, and unused foods have been recalled as a precautionary measure.
SFA and MOE are taking extra security measures at participating locations, including replacing ready-to-eat foods from the same shipment.
Early results point to an isolated incident, the government said.
On February 19, Sota became aware of the cases of food poisoning after many individuals who had consumed the meals complained of being unwell.
According to authorities, the afflicted students make up about 1 % of those who consumed the dishes.
Parents were sent an email from Vice-principal Ann Tan to let them know that individuals had been instructed to gain any unused meals.
The government have not yet provided specific information regarding the source of contamination or probable food safety errors.
In upcoming planning exercises, food safety is a top priority as investigations are ongoing to find the root of the outbreak.
Full Defence Food Resilience Programme
The Total Defence Food Resilience Preparedness Programme ( FRPP ) is a component of Exercise SG Ready, which aims to increase Singapore’s food security in times of crisis like power outages.
Developed in partnership with the SFA and food solutions provider SATS, the programme provides shelf-stable, ready-to-eat (RTE ) meals that require no refrigeration or reheating.
In 2025, 150, 000 of these foods were actually expected to be distributed to over 100, 000 individuals, professors, and senior residents across schools and active age centres, marking an raise from 50, 000 meals in 2024.
Significant food poisoning instances in Singapore
In recent years, Singapore has had a number of important food poisoning occurrences.
In July 2024, more than 130 people at ByteDance’s Singapore department suffered diarrhea after consuming catered lunches, with 57 killed.
In November 2022, 29 people developed diarrhea after consuming foods from the” Drinks &, Snacks” shop at Nanyang Girls ‘ High School, few required hospitalisation.
In March 2019, 251 youngsters from 13 Fibre Sparkletots pre-schools fell ill due to food served by Kate’s Catering, leading to the expulsion of the caterer’s permission.
Studies revealed troubling blunders in food hygiene at Spize, which led to its closing and charges for the business.
