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By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that produces toxins that cause vomiting or diarrhea, was found in a hand swab sample collected from a food handler at a buffet in Taipei, where suspected food poisoning was reported earlier this month, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday.
The health department first received reports from hospitals on Tuesday last week about people experiencing suspected food poisoning symptoms shortly after they ate at buffet restaurant INPARADISE’s (饗饗) Breeze Xinyi branch.
Upon receiving the reports, the department on the same day sent inspectors to collect four environmental surface samples and four hand swab samples from food handlers at the restaurant for testing.
Screengrab from the Web site of INPARADISE’s Breeze Xinyi branch
Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said test results showed that one of the samples contained B. cereus, while the others were negative.
“Bacillus cereus can be easily transmitted by dust and insects to contaminate food, and it can also cause food poisoning when food is not refrigerated at a low enough temperature or improperly handled,” she said.
Finding B. cereus indicates that the restaurant must improve its food handlers’ hand hygiene as well as environmental hygiene, Lin said, adding that the department has informed the restaurant to submit improvement plans.
As of 5pm on Friday last week, 59 people had reported suspected food poisoning symptoms after eating at the restaurant, she said.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control on Tuesday said a survey it conducted found that 77 people reported feeling ill after eating at the restaurant on Sunday and Monday last week, and of the 70 people who were tested, nine were confirmed infected with norovirus.
If it is deemed a case of food poisoning, the restaurant could face a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,815 to US$6.05 million), Lin said.
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