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
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese