Authorities suspend Total Defence food resilience programme after food poisoning cases at Sota
Authorities in Singapore have suspended the Total Defence food resilience programme pending an investigation into 20 cases of food poisoning at the School of the Arts (Sota). The Singapore Food Agency, Ministry of Education, and other bodies are examining the cause of the incident, which involved ready-to-eat meals distributed to students.
SINGAPORE: Authorities in Singapore have suspended the Total Defence food resilience programme while an investigation is conducted into 20 cases of food poisoning at the School of the Arts (Sota).
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA), Ministry of Education (MOE), Agency for Integrated Care, and food solutions provider Sats announced the suspension in a joint statement on 20 February.
According to the statement, the affected students had consumed ready-to-eat meals as part of a food resilience preparedness session to mark Total Defence Day in schools.
Up until 19 February, 20 students reported symptoms of gastroenteritis, but none required hospitalisation.
Teachers have been monitoring students’ well-being, and unconsumed meals have been recalled as a precautionary measure.
SFA and MOE are implementing additional precautionary measures at participating venues, including replacing ready-to-eat meals from the same batch.
Early findings suggest that this is an isolated incident, the authorities said.
Sota became aware of the food poisoning cases on 19 February, when several students who had eaten the meals reported feeling unwell.
The affected students represent about 1 per cent of those who consumed the meals, according to officials.
Vice-principal Ann Tan informed parents via email that students had been instructed to return any unconsumed meals.
The authorities have not yet disclosed specific details about the source of contamination or potential food safety lapses.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the outbreak and ensure food safety in future preparedness exercises.
Total Defence Food Resilience Programme
The Total Defence Food Resilience Preparedness Programme (FRPP) is part of Exercise SG Ready, aimed at strengthening Singapore’s food security during emergencies such as 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 meals were originally expected to be distributed to over 100,000 students, teachers, and senior citizens across schools and active ageing centres, marking an increase from 50,000 meals in 2024.
Notable food poisoning incidents in Singapore
Singapore has experienced several significant food poisoning incidents in recent years.
In July 2024, more than 130 employees at ByteDance's Singapore office suffered gastroenteritis after consuming catered meals, with 57 hospitalised.
In November 2022, 29 individuals developed gastroenteritis after consuming food from the "Drinks & Snacks" stall at Nanyang Girls' High School; none required hospitalisation.
In March 2019, 251 children from 13 PCF Sparkletots pre-schools fell ill due to food served by Kate's Catering, leading to the suspension of the caterer's licence.
