Bad egg cafe’s $100k serve
STEVIE-LEE McCallum was the sickest she’s ever been after eating eggs benedict at trendy Gold Coast cafe Grocer & Grind.
Ms McCallum, 21, was among 22 people hospitalised with severe salmonella poisoning at the popular Broadbeach Waters cafe, which was yesterday hit with more than $100,000 in penalties for serving unsafe food.
A court was told the outbreak in March last year was so bad that Gold Coast University Hospital had to open a special ward to cope with the influx of patients.
It was not the first time the cafe had come under fire for unsafe food practices, with Gold Coast City Council health inspectors ordering the cafe fix breaches in January, June and November, 2014.
Ms McCallum said it was “good to see that justice has finally been done” and revealed she was taking legal action against the cafe.
“I was so bad an ambulance had to take me to hospital and I was there for nine days,’’ she said. “I was dangerously dehydrated, couldn’t keep anything down and was on the toilet about every 10 seconds.
“I couldn’t work and lost my job and was unemployed for nine months.’’
In a prosecution brought by Queensland Health, Grocer & Grind and owner Taletha March pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrates Court to two counts of breaching the Food Act.
In total, 30 people tested positive to salmonella poisoning and a further 14 reported being ill but were not tested.
Health inspectors traced the bug to incorrectly stored hollandaise sauce used in the eggs benedict.
The sauce, which uses raw eggs, had been left on the counter rather than refrigerated and used eggs from a Darling Downs egg farm.
The same batch was recalled just a week later.
In the cafe, the outbreak was so widespread the strain of the bacteria was also found in guacamole, water taps and tea towels in the kitchen.
Defence barrister James McNab said March had since taken a number of steps to ensure against another outbreak.
The cafe was given the allclear weeks later but again was cited with health breaches in February this year. By March, Grocer & Grind was given the all clear.