A French restaurant in Taichung is being investigated after 13 diners were treated for suspected food poisoning, city authorities said today.
In a news release, the Taichung Office of Food and Drug Safety said it was made aware of a suspected food poisoning case by the Ministry of Health and Welfare-operated Taichung Hospital yesterday evening.
Photo courtesy of a reader via CNA
Thirteen people developed acute gastroenteritis with symptoms such as nausea, stomachache, vomiting and diarrhea after dining at a French restaurant in Taichung's West District (西區), the office said.
Of the 13, 10 sought medical attention before being discharged from the hospital, the office said.
The office said it immediately launched an investigation, adding that agents collected samples during the unnamed restaurant's opening hours today to test for pathogens.
Inspectors discovered a lack of enforcement regarding temperature recording, the office said, adding that several seafood and pork products used by the restaurant were either not properly documented or came from unsanctioned sources.
The Taichung City Government added that if the pathogen tests come back positive, the restaurant could face a fine between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,949 and US$6.5 million) in accordance with the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).
Additionally, if tests show the presence of the same pathogens as those collected from the 13 diners who fell ill, the owners of the French restaurant could face legal consequences.
Meanwhile, in Taipei, six people fell ill after dining at the Happy Cow Sukiyaki Hotpot restaurant located inside the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Nanxi Store shopping center.
As the six people came from different parties who dined at the restaurant between Monday and Tuesday, the Taipei Department of Health said it had already ordered the eatery to shut down.
A search on Wednesday found that several refrigerated ingredients, such as vegetables and beef, were not properly covered, the department said, adding it had given the restaurant until Monday next week to rectify the issues.
Agents also collected samples from pitchers of raw beaten eggs — an ingredient traditionally used as a dip in the Japanese hotpot dish sukiyaki — for pathogen tests.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS