Food poisoning in paradise: Imported oysters blamed

It was recently reported that 24 customers of the well-known restaurant chain "Food Paradise" developed symptoms of food poisoning such as nausea and vomiting after eating sashimi and oysters. After several days of inspection and testing, the Department of Health announced the test results on the 10th, pointing directly to oysters suspected to be imported from South Korea. The suspected oysters have been sealed and the Korean authorities have been notified to assist in the investigation. At the same time, the Food and Drug Administration has taken batch-by-batch inspection and control measures for oyster products imported from South Korea since 00:00 on June 9. Only those that pass the inspection can be imported.

On June 7, a food poisoning incident broke out among customers of the "Xiang Shi Tian Tang" restaurant chain. The Taipei City Health Bureau has collected 22 food and environmental samples for screening for food poisoning bacteria. At the same time, they also went to the Xiangshi Paradise Beijing Station Store, Mingyao Store, and Neihu Store for inspection and found that there were many deficiencies in food hygiene at the Beijing Station Store.

Inspection items include slippery kitchen floors, insufficient freezing temperatures, waste stacking in open kitchens, oysters thawing in plastic basins above sinks, etc. If improvements are not made within the notice period, a fine of not less than NT$60,000 and not more than NT$6 million will be imposed in accordance with Article 11, Paragraph 1, Item 4 and Article 31, Paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Management Act.

In addition, the preliminary inspection results of Mingyao Store and Neihu Store showed some hygiene deficiencies. The Health Bureau will conduct a re-inspection after the deadline for modification has expired. If they still do not comply with the regulations, they will be dealt with in accordance with the law. This time, the Department of Health cooperated with the Taipei City Health Bureau in a joint inspection, implying that the oyster ingredients were suspected to be infected with Vibrio enteritidis, and did not rule out the possibility that the oysters themselves were infected before being imported and sold.

The Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health stated that raw fish and shellfish are easily contaminated by microorganisms such as norovirus and Vibrio enteritidis, and may cause food poisoning if eaten raw. The Food and Drug Administration calls on catering operators or the public to pay attention to the hygiene and storage conditions of the products when purchasing raw fish and shellfish, pay attention to personal hygiene, wash hands thoroughly, and clean fish and shellfish before eating, avoid eating them raw, and cook them thoroughly before eating.