The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement on Friday that its inspectors found contaminated sashimi shrimps that could cause food poisoning at a Thai restaurant during regular food sampling.
The statement underlined that the “Chang Siam Thai Restaurant” (暹邏象泰國菜), located in Avenida de Demetrio Cinatti (爹美刁施拿地大馬路), had been selling sashimi shrimps containing Vibrio parahaermolyticus, which can cause gastrointestinal illness to humans. The bureau has ordered the restaurant to stop selling the problematic products and improve its hygiene, adding that the bureau will keep up inspections of the eatery.
According to the statement, the bureau reminded the restaurant management to purchase ingredients only from reputable and reliable suppliers, and they should only use ingredients that are up to standard. The bureau also urged the restaurant to order their staff to attend food hygiene supervisory courses and food safety and environmental hygiene industry training courses in order to enhance their knowledge of food and personal hygiene.
The statement pointed out that Vibrio parahaermolyticus is often found in the ocean and is one of the bacteria causing food poisoning, mainly being liable to contaminate seafood, including fish, shellfish, molluscs, and crustaceans. The statement underlined that the germ is heat intolerant and therefore can be effectively killed through cooking, so seafood dishes that do not require cooking, such as sashimi shrimps, raw crabs, and raw blood clams, carry a higher risk of containing such bacteria. The statement warned that the elderly and pregnant women, as well as people with weakened immune systems should avoid consuming them.
According to the statement, the germ can cause symptoms, including diarrhoea, stomachache, nausea, vomiting and fever, which can last for two to five days. The statement underlined that if one develops symptoms after consuming seafood, he or she should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The bureau called on the foodservice sector to strictly comply with food hygiene and safety requirements and ensure that food is stored and prepared safely, adding that raw and cooked food should be handled separately to avoid cross-contamination, according to the statement.
Illustration on how Vibrio parahaemolyticus is exposed to bile salts in the human gastrointestinal tract – Image courtesy of Frontiers in Microbiology
