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.”
Photo: Yu Jui-jen, Taipei Times
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.
Additional reporting by CNA
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS