Food poisoning probe as Secret Cinema-goers fall ill from oyster bar
FOOD safety inspectors have launched an investigation after visitors to the latest Secret Cinema extravaganza fell ill after eating oysters.
At least a dozen people have reported symptoms of severe food poisoning after eating the raw seafood at the Moulin Rouge!-themed immersive cinema experience. Secret Cinema is investigating 12 complaints and Newham council food hygiene teams have also launched a probe.
The cult production company’s most ambitious project yet, based on Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 blockbuster starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, launched last week. It has seen a warehouse in Newham be transformed into Montmartre in Paris where visitors, who are given a character and come in full costume, pay up to £130 to be surrounded by grand sets and actors who bring the singing, dancing hedonistic world of the film to life.
It is the latest immersive screening by the company, the brainchild of entrepreneur Fabien Riggall, and has been celebrated as the “best Secret Cinema performance so far” with 80,000 people expected to attend its run to the end of April.
As part of the latest experience visitors can eat at an oyster bar — Marsea — with six oysters served for £10. Some who have complained online of food poisoning say they ate there on Friday or Saturday night. Ahead of the next show tonight the production company is carrying out a probe into all the venues in the food hall about the cause of the alleged food poisoning.
Actress Kate Sawyer, 36, from Camberwell, one of the people to complain, said she was “violently ill” less than 24 hours after eating the oysters. She was also one of several people to criticise Secret Cinema for slowness in responding to their complaints. “I woke up the next morning and was already feeling unwell and later I was violently sick. An evening vomiting is pretty unpleasant. It was such a shame because the night was an incredible experience,” she said.
“But I felt I had to warn this could be happening and ask for Secret Cinema to act because there is obviously a food safety issue here for so many people to become ill.”
Her friend Claire Dewar, 35, who runs a communication and events agency, and had come 75 miles from her Bury St Edmunds home in Suffolk to see the production, was also ill and had to take time off work.
She was sick about 28 hours after eating the oysters. She said: “We all fell ill and we knew what it was. We just wanted to stop other people being ill by complaining.”
She has been offered a full refund and tickets to another screening. Secret Cinema said: “Since the weekend our own independent food hygiene experts have completed an extensive and thorough investigation of the situation and are entirely satisfied that the matter is resolved and the sale of oysters has been suspended. We continue to ensure that our food safety and hygiene is of the highest standard.
“We have had no further customer complaints since those attending on Saturday night. While this is an isolated incident, we do not underestimate the discomfort of this for our customers. We have personally followed up the small number of complaints we received.”