Clostridium perfringens sickens 19 in Wales
Nearly 20 confirmed cases of food poisoning have been linked to food served in a restaurant in Wales.
The results show 19 people tested positive for Clostridium perfringens after eating at The Cwrt Henllys bar and restaurant in early October. Earlier media reports put the number of sick people at 52.
Samples taken from the patients revealed that the food poisoning was caused by Clostridium perfringens. This bacteria develops spores that can survive cooking and grow during slow cooling and unrefrigerated storage of foods.
Torfaen County Borough Council said microbiological sampling results confirmed Clostridium perfringens was the cause, but there was no wider risk to public health.
The restaurant’s response
In a statement posted to Facebook, the restaurant said: “While these findings provide closure for us and our customers, we are still left with questions that we will likely never have answers to. We are currently investigating a potential issue with a supplier as a number of issues have been reported regarding contaminated turkey. We have not had a positive result for a food product that was removed from our kitchen and tested.
“We have made positive changes to ensure that in the future there will never be a chill period again as your food will go straight from oven to plate, but it is also important to note that we have no real physical evidence of our liability. We have never been advised to close our kitchen and there has never been any additional risk to our public.”
Meat products such as stews or stews and meaty meats are the most common sources of Clostridium perfringens illness. Most outbreaks come from foods with poorly temperature controlled foods.
People usually experience symptoms of infection 6 to 24 hours after consuming the bacteria or toxins. Clostridium perfringens toxins cause abdominal pain and stomach cramps, followed by diarrhea. The illness usually lasts about 24 hours and is rarely fatal.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News,click here)
