Prisca Tang
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement yesterday that the Health Bureau (SSM) reported a suspected group food poisoning case on Wednesday, involving five people who dined at “Tomato House”.
According to the statement, the incident happened last Sunday when they all went for dinner at “Tomato House” in the Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro area. The statement noted that the guests had egg fried rice and serradura (“sawdust custard”), adding that they started to show gastroenteritis symptoms such as stomachache, diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting the next morning. The statement pointed out that the Health Bureau believes that the gastroenteritis was caused by food poisoning.
The statement said that IAM inspectors went to the scene and collected food and environment samples. The statement underlined that the inspector found a large amount of premade egg sauce, which could lead to food safety problems. The statement said that the inspectors 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.
The statement said that the IAM inspectors suspect that the case might have been caused by the eggs, as they could have been contaminated with salmonella. The statement said that people eating contaminated or undercooked eggs, dairy or meat products risk getting sick.
The statement stressed that salmonella cannot survive high temperatures, so the bureau urged the general public to cook food thoroughly to kill any bacteria.
