The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) received a report from the Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday about 24 people who went down with food poisoning after eating sashimi or seafood at Samurai Fish in Avenida do Governador Jaime Silvério Marques in Nape on Sunday night.
According to the statement, the incident affected 24 patrons who were in 14 different dining groups. The statement said that on Sunday night, the patrons went in separate groups to dine at the restaurant, where they ordered food such as crabmeat rice bowl, sashimi rice bowl and other dishes. The statement said that the patrons started to show food poisoning symptoms, such as stomachache, diarrhoea, fever and vomiting, on Monday morning. The statement said that after analysing the case, SSM deduced that their sickness was caused by bacteria.
The statement said that the IAM officials went to the restaurant to collect samples for further testing. The statement pointed out that the restaurant’s food storage situation was “not ideal”, adding that some fridges were not “cold enough”. The statement also underlined that the restaurant’s chefs were found to have a “low awareness” of personal hygiene.
According to the statement, the Municipal Affairs Bureau immediately stopped the restaurant from selling items that caused the food poisoning and urged the management to deep-clean the restaurant. The bureau said that its inspectors also urged the eatery’s employees to attend food safety courses to strengthen their knowledge on food and personal hygiene.
The statement pointed out that according to the Food Safety Law, any violation of the law carries a fine of 50,000 to 600,000 patacas, adding that the production or sale of harmful food is punishable by up to five years behind bars, or a fine.
IAM reminded the food industry that fresh food that needs to be eaten immediately contains a high risk of incubating bacteria, stressing that each step from preparing to storing the items needs to be done carefully or else it could lead to unhygienic situations. The statement also said that the Municipal Affairs Bureau has strict guidelines for sushi and sashimi specialty restaurants and shops. The statement urged seniors, young children, pregnant women and people with weak immunity to avoid eating raw food such as sashimi.
