A food poisoning outbreak that sickened nearly 50 people was caused by bacteria in a homemade noodle dish, authorities revealed.
On October 21, 46 workers at NAFCO’s wholesale fish distribution plant in Maryland fell ill about three hours after lunch.
When first responders arrived, they found workers sitting at picnic tables outside the plant, some slumped over with their heads down.
At least 26 employees were taken to a local hospital with symptoms of food poisoning, although all have made a full recovery.
This week, the Maryland Department of Health announced that workers became ill from Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria, a generally harmless bacteria that lives on the skin.
Although it does not normally cause illness, it can be transmitted to food if hands are not washed.
If such foods are not cooked thoroughly or left out for too long, they can cause bacteria to multiply and produce toxins responsible for food poisoning and serious infections such as toxic shock syndrome.
Experts said the illnesses were caused by a traditional Filipino noodle dish called pancit, which an employee brought for his co-workers to eat. It is made up of rice noodles, mixed vegetables, chicken or pork, broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar.
Dozens of workers at the NAFCO seafood factory in Maryland were hospitalized after a takeout lunch sparked an outbreak of food poisoning.
Authorities confirmed that the illnesses were caused by a traditional Filipino noodle dish called pancit, composed of rice noodles, mixed vegetables, chicken or pork, broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar.
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NAFCO said The Baltimore Flag This was an isolated incident and the food was prepared at the worker’s home and not supplied by the company. It was also served outside and not inside the factory.
NAFCO, which is one of the largest seafood distributors in the mid-Atlantic region, said no consumers or outlets have been affected by the incident.
A company representative said: ‘NAFCO maintains the highest food safety standards and regularly undergoes rigorous inspections by health authorities.
“Their products continue to be safely produced and consumed by customers across the country and there are no issues related to their supply chain.”
They added: “It’s unfortunate because we’re in the food business, but this happened in our parking lot.”
“If there’s a positive here, we have a huge food safety staff here and all these contingencies.”
About one in three Americans carries S. aureus on their skin or in their nose. Although generally harmless, bacteria can produce enterotoxins, harmful proteins that attack the intestines.
In addition to infections such as toxic shock syndrome, these enterotoxins can cause rapid-onset symptoms of food poisoning, such as violent vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.
Approximately 120,000 Americans become ill from S. aureus each year and 20,000 die.
It’s unclear exactly what happened to the pancit that caused the illnesses, although it’s possible that the worker who made it didn’t wash his hands properly, improperly cooked the meat on the plate, or stored it at an unsafe temperature.
It is also unclear whether the dish was made with chicken or pork. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and pork should be cooked to 145 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the cut.
Many commentators on social media highlighted this as the reason why they do not share food in the workplace or participate in potlucks.
One Facebook user wrote: ‘And that’s why I don’t do potlucks anymore; I haven’t done it in years.
‘You can’t trust the cleanliness, or lack thereof, of others, especially after the nonsense that came out about people during Covid. Animals on counters… People who don’t shower for days or weeks at a time…’
Another commenter mused: ‘This (kind of thing) is really weird. Let’s be honest.
‘That doesn’t mean you should let your guard down, but if you have doubts about a dish or its origin, trust your instincts. (Pun intended).’
