SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Health Department has confirmed a food poisoning incident at a government agency’s Family Day event held at a popular theme park in Selangor on Oct 4.
In a statement, the department, through the Petaling District Health Office, said it was alerted to the incident last week after a video surfaced on social media.
It found that 322 of the 4,710 people (6.8 per cent) who attended the event were affected, suffering symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain.
The majority of cases involved adults (92 per cent), with the remainder being children and teenagers.
“All those affected have sought treatment, and no cases required hospitalisation or intensive care. No deaths were reported,” the department said.
Further investigations found that the food poisoning was caused by contamination of food and cooking utensils used during meal preparation.
Contributing factors included the large volume of food prepared by a limited number of handlers, extended storage time before serving, and possible cross-contamination during preparation.
“A risk assessment confirmed that the contamination originated from the kitchen facilities at the theme park premises,” it said.
As part of control and preventive measures, the department ordered the closure of the theme park’s kitchen for cleaning and disinfection.
However, it clarified that the closure did not involve the entire theme park, as the incident was not linked to environmental factors at the venue.
The kitchen was later allowed to resume operations after being verified as clean and compliant with food safety requirements.
The department also held engagement sessions with the theme park management and programme organisers to strengthen food hygiene practices, and notified other district and state health offices to monitor symptomatic cases.
It reminded all food handlers to comply with the Food Act 1983 and Food Hygiene Regulations 2009, ensuring strict hygiene at every stage of food preparation.
This includes maintaining clean equipment and utensils, using fresh ingredients, ensuring proper cooking, and serving food within four hours of preparation.
The public is advised to choose clean food premises, conduct basic checks such as observing, smelling and tasting food before eating, and seek medical attention at the nearest health facility if they develop symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting or stomach pain after a meal.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
