Sixteen pupils at Eunos pre-school fall ill with food poisoning symptoms

SINGAPORE: Sixteen pupils from a pre-school in Eunos have fallen ill after exhibiting symptoms of food poisoning on 11 March 2026.

The incident occurred at MapleBear Kids Adventure Place, where children reportedly became unwell following the consumption of food on the school premises.

Catering provider SATS confirmed it was aware that 16 pupils experienced symptoms after consuming meals on Wednesday, according to state media The Straits Times.

The company stated it had supplied 96 lunch meals to the Eunos branch as part of a larger batch of 2,188 meals.

These meals were distributed across several different schools on the same day.

SATS noted that, to date, no other reports of illness or issues regarding these specific meals have been received from any of the other educational institutions served.

The catering provider further clarified that pupils at the pre-school had consumed other items.

Apart from the lunch provided by SATS, students reportedly ate snacks, including cheese sandwiches, during their afternoon teatime on 11 March.

According to SATS, those specific snack items were prepared in-house by the pre-school staff rather than by the external catering service. The company emphasized that its own meals are planned and delivered under stringent food safety protocols.

SATS has since collected food samples from the batch served on 11 March for formal laboratory testing.

The results of these tests are expected to be available within two or three working days.

In a note sent to parents on 12 March, the pre-school administration provided a breakdown of the health status of those affected. Eight children from a single class were diagnosed specifically with food poisoning by medical professionals.

Additionally, seven children and two teachers were diagnosed with stomach flu. Four other cases involving pupils remained pending as the school awaited official diagnoses from doctors at the time of the correspondence.

The pre-school has taken immediate steps to ensure student safety by temporarily changing its catering arrangements. An individual holding a valid food safety certificate has been appointed to prepare lunches on-site until the investigation is concluded.

MapleBear Kids Adventure Place assured parents that all food preparation would strictly follow proper safety practices during this interim period. The school has also initiated a comprehensive cleaning regime to prevent further spread of illness.

Disinfection misting was carried out in all affected classrooms and across the entire third level of the building.

Furthermore, staff have disinfected toys, teaching materials, and various learning resources as a precautionary measure.