The Singapore Food Agency issued a statement saying that there are no recent food-borne illness cases in Singapore involving chicken rice, following a video post by YouTuber Angel Hsu where she conducted tests herself on 100 chicken rice stalls, claiming that almost half of the samples had exceeded the regulatory limits for the bacteria, E. coli.
SFA’s statement
Media reply on food safety of chicken rice
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) monitors chicken rice stalls regularly as part of its Market Monitoring Program. This is done by collecting samples and testing for microbiological contamination to ensure food safety requirements are met. SFA adopts a science-based risk assessment and management approach which means
that food with higher risks is subjected to more stringent and frequent checks. This is the case for chicken rice.
Enforcement actions were taken on chicken rice stalls found to have failed SFA’s food safety limits. SFA also looks into public feedback on food safety. From 2020 to May 2023, SFA received 126 feedbacks on chicken rice stalls with subsequent enforcement actions taken against one stall for selling unsafe food. In addition, enforcement actions were taken against 22 other chicken rice stalls found to fail our standards under SFA’s Market Monitoring Programme. SFA will continue to educate chicken rice stallholders on microbiological safety and control measures for retail food.
Our surveillance in recent years shows that the rate of failure due to E. coli detections in chicken rice samples have decreased. In addition, there has been no reported foodborne illness cases involving chicken rice since 2020. SFA will continue to engage and remind the chicken rice stallholders on good food safety practices and
monitor these stalls to ensure that food safety requirements are met.
Food safety hazards in chicken rice
Common food safety hazards associated with chicken rice are mostly microbiological, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. These bacteria, which cause food poisoning, can be found in raw chicken naturally. Chicken rice can also contain E. coli. While most strains of this bacteria do not cause illnesses, it is commonly used as an indicator for food safety as high levels of E. coli is linked to poor hygiene, cross-contamination, poor storage practices, insufficient cooking etc.
The common preparation method in Singapore of gently boiling the chicken in stock and quickly quenching the cooked chicken in iced/tap water can lead to undercooking, where bacteria can continue to survive. After cooking, the chickens are often displayed at room temperature over an extended period, which also allows
bacteria to grow. When chickens are sliced to serve, cross-contamination could occur from handling meat or through the chopping boards and other surfaces. Likewise, these risk factors can be applied to similar food stalls, such as those selling roasted meat and economy rice.
Source: SFA