The number of people who have sought medical attention for suspected food poisoning symptoms after dining at an upscale buffet in Kaohsiung on Friday has increased to 46, the city’s health authorities said yesterday.
Since Saturday, when 11 diners were reported to have fallen ill, another 35 people have experienced food poisoning symptoms, the Kaohsiung City Health Department said.
The department said on Saturday it had sent food safety inspectors to the Hi-Lai Harbour (漢來海港) restaurant branch in Kaohsiung, after being informed about the incident by a hospital where one of the diners was being treated.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung City Health Department via CNA
At the restaurant in Zuoying District (左營), health inspectors collected 20 samples of food items from its kitchen, including salads, oysters and sashimi, and found signs of cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods, the department said.
Another 56 samples were collected from the restaurant’s kitchen staff, the department said, adding that all of the samples were still being tested.
As of 4:30pm yesterday, the number of people who had fallen ill after eating at the restaurant buffet had risen to 46, the health department said. They all reported diarrhea and other symptoms of food poisoning, but none have been hospitalized, it added.
Pending the release of the test results, the restaurant has been closed since Saturday to undergo extensive cleaning, the department said.
City health officials are to conduct a follow-up inspection this week, and if sanitation issues persist, the restaurant could receive a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,843 and US$6.14 million), the department said, citing the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).
Centers for Disease Control spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑惠) said yesterday that about 200 people had dined at the buffet on Friday.
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