44 People Sickened after Eating at Shaved Ice Restaurant
In South Taiwan, a local shaved ice restaurant has been closed down, and fined NT$300,000 (USD $9,600) after an outbreak of Salmonella bacteria. Thus far, twenty-three people have been sickened, and several have been hospitalized. After a thorough inspection of the restaurant and its premises, the health officials of Kaohsiung City Government Department of Health were not pleased.
Upon investigation, officials found dirty floors, surfaces, and an uncovered trash can. The health department then conducted on-site testing of the samples taken from the shaved-ice toppings, surfaces of equipment frequently used, and the shaved ice itself. The results were not pretty. The samples tested positive for both Salmonella and E.coli bacteria, along with (acceptable levels) of Staphylococcus aureus.
This on-site testing was launched on July 14th after over a dozen people began to exhibit symptoms of food poisoning subsequent to eating at the restaurant. A woman whose last name is reportedly Huang, grabbed the internet’s attention when she told the public her story. Previous to the investigation, Huang and twelve other family members went to the shaved-ice restaurant for a cold treat.
Later, eleven of Huang’s family members reported symptoms. These included diarrhea, vomiting, bloody stools, and fever. Her son was unfortunately also sickened, resulting in him having to be hospitalized due to the illness. The previous number of twenty-three people who were reportedly ill on July 17th at 10 p.m rose to forty-four as of yesterday, July 18th at 4 p.m.
Salmonella poisoning is rare in both ice cream and shaved-ice, so the issue at hand raised serious concerns. Upon further investigation, it has been found that the factory the shop has partnered with is not up to date on their health practices, and their “reverse osmosis” filter for their shaved ice has both been experiencing problems, and has not been changed for a long while. The factory will be closed until it is determined that they are following all of the “Good Hygiene Practice” (GHP) standards.
The owner publicly apologized, expressing how in the “over 30-year history of the shop” something like this has never occurred. They go on to mention how each individual will be thoroughly compensated, for both medical and emotional damages.
This happens on the condition of, the owner said, that the person’s illness is proved to be directly caused by the consumption of the shaved ice and if the affected persons are willing to submit their medical receipts. As for the emotional compensation, since it is likely different for each individual, the owner will discuss this with relevant health officials.
