Three questioned in food poisoning probe
SALMONELLA: Investigators indicted a woman surnamed Nguyen, proprietor of a Jhongli District, Taoyuan food stall for a mass food poisoning incident
Prosecutors yesterday questioned people over an apparent food poisoning incident at a Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant and listed three as suspects.
Franchise owner Li Fang-hsuan (黎仿軒), a store manager surnamed Wang (王) and a Vietnamese cook surnamed Ho (胡) face charges of contravening the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法) and negligence causing death, prosecutors said, adding that they have been barred from leaving the country.
Two people have died after eating on separate days last week at the restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13.
The results of an autopsy on one of those who died, a 66-yearold man, were released yesterday. They showed that bongkrek acid was in blood samples, as was the case for the first person who died, a 39-year-old man.
Health officials said it is the first time the toxin has been linked to deaths in Taiwan.
Others who fell ill after eating at the restaurant reported symptoms including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Health authorities yesterday said that 21 people have been identified as having symptoms after eating at the restaurant last week, with five in intensive care units.
Prosecutors earlier questioned the suspects about food handling and preparation procedures.
Prior to the autopsies showing the presence of bongkrek acid, prosecutors had included deliberate poisoning and bacterial contamination as possible causes.
Ho told prosecutors that he was a substitute for a regular chef, surnamed Chou (周), who had gone abroad on vacation.
Ho had been in charge of the kitchen for nine days until the Taipei City Government on Tuesday ordered all of the restaurants in the franchise to close until further notice, meaning he was there prior to Tuesday last week.
The 66-year-old ate there on that day. He died on Wednesday.
Ho told prosecutors that he followed proper procedures for preparing food and cooking dishes, and added that Li and Wang were in charge of ordering and storing ingredients.
Prosecutors also questioned Chou, who returned to Taiwan yesterday.
The Taipei Department of Health fined Li NT$2.5 million (US$78,149) for supplying false information on the restaurant’s business registration.
Moreover, Li has not paid mandatory product liability insurance since last year, the department said.
Most of those who reported symptoms after eating at the restaurant last week said they ate char kway teow (炒粿條) from the menu — a stir-fried rice noodle dish.
Experts suspect the bongkrek acid was in the noodles and officials have inspected suppliers to determine the source of the toxin, including whether it originated overseas.
Li had promoted the franchise as authentic Malaysian cuisine and said most of the ingredients were imported from Malaysia.
Taoyuan prosecutors completed an investigation yesterday into a salmonella poisoning case last year in which more than 500 people became ill.
The prosecutors indicted the proprietor of a food stall at a market in Taoyuan’s Jhongli Distict (中壢) which sold Vietnamese-style sandwhiches known as banh mi.
Prosecutors said that the proprietor, surnamed Nguyen, originally from Vietnam, contravened the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), adding that “she should ensure the cleanliness and safety of food preparation materials, but failed to do so, leading to bacterial contamination.”
Nguyen’s stand, which was in front of Jhongli’s Zhongzhen Night Market (忠貞市場), often has people lining up to purchase her banh mi, made from a French baguette filled with assorted foodstuffs, including egg slices, cold cuts of meat, vegetables, butter and mayonnaise. She also provided vegetarian options, news reports said.
However, on Aug. 2 last year, people reported getting sick after eating her banh mi, which was hand-made by Nguyen. The customers reported abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and fever in some cases.
The next day health inspectors investigated and shut the stall down.
Testing found salmonella in the ingredients, and 514 customers reported getting ill after eating the banh mi from her stand. It was deemed a case of mass food poisoning.
Investigators found flaws and negligence by Nguyen, including insufficient refrigerator temperature for cold food storage, a lack of screens to keep out flies and most of her ingredients were in open plastic bags and containers, without being dated.
Investigators also said that she did not maintain proper sanitary conditions, mixing foodstuffs contaminated with bacteria, and that improper cold food storage had permitted bacterial growth, which was the cause of the food poisonining.
Prior to the indictment, the sandwich operator had already paid NT$2.24 million (US$70,022) in compensation to 283 people and was still working to reach a settlement with the remaining victims, the office said.
Prosecutors asked that when ruling on the case, the court take into consideration that the owner had proactively sought to settle with her customers,
However, it did not appear that prosecutors recommended a specific sentence or fine for the store owner, who continues to sell sandwiches in a location near the original location of the stand under a slightly different name.