A French restaurant in Taichung is being investigated after 13 diners were treated for suspected food poisoning, city authorities said yesterday.
Taichung City’s Office of Food and Drug Safety in a statement said it was alerted to a suspected food poisoning case by the Taichung Hospital on Thursday evening.
Thirteen people developed acute gastroenteritis with symptoms such as nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea after dining at the restaurant in Taichung’s West District (西區), the office said, adding that 10 had sought medical attention.
Photo: Taipei Times
The office said it launched an investigation, collecting samples during the restaurant’s opening hours yesterday to test for pathogens.
Inspectors discovered a lack of enforcement regarding temperature recording, and several of the restaurant’s seafood and pork products were not properly documented or came from unsanctioned sources, they said.
The Taichung City Government said that if the pathogen tests come back positive, the restaurant could face a fine between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,947 to US$6.49 million), in accordance with the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).
Additionally, if the samples test positive for the same pathogens as those found in the 13 diners who fell ill, the restaurant’s owners could face legal consequences, they added.
In related news, six people fell ill in Taipei after dining at the Happy Cow Sukiyaki Hotpot restaurant in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi’s Nanxi store.
They had eaten at the restaurant on Monday and Tuesday.
The city’s health department said it already ordered the restaurant to close.
A search of the restaurant on Wednesday found that several refrigerated ingredients, such as vegetables and beef, were not properly covered, the department said.
It said it had given the restaurant until Monday to correct the issues.
Investigators also collected samples from pitchers of raw beaten eggs — an ingredient traditionally used as a dip in the Japanese hot pot dish sukiyaki — for pathogen tests, it added.
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