Taoyuan prosecutors completed an investigation yesterday into a salmonella poisoning case last year in which more than 500 people became ill.
The prosecutors indicted the proprietor of a food stall at a market in Taoyuan’s Jhongli Distict (中壢) which sold Vietnamese-style sandwhiches known as banh mi.
Prosecutors said that the proprietor, surnamed Nguyen, originally from Vietnam, contravened the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), adding that “she should ensure the cleanliness and safety of food preparation materials, but failed to do so, leading to bacterial contamination.”
Photo: Yu Jui-jen, Taipei Times
Nguyen’s stand, which was in front of Jhongli’s Zhongzhen Night Market (忠貞市場), often has people lining up to purchase her banh mi, made from a French baguette filled with assorted foodstuffs, including egg slices, cold cuts of meat, vegetables, butter and mayonnaise. She also provided vegetarian options, news reports said.
However, on Aug. 2 last year, people reported getting sick after eating her banh mi, which was hand-made by Nguyen. The customers reported abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and fever in some cases.
The next day health inspectors investigated and shut the stall down.
Testing found salmonella in the ingredients, and 514 customers reported getting ill after eating the banh mi from her stand. It was deemed a case of mass food poisoning.
Investigators found flaws and negligence by Nguyen, including insufficient refrigerator temperature for cold food storage, a lack of screens to keep out flies and most of her ingredients were in open plastic bags and containers, without being dated.
Investigators also said that she did not maintain proper sanitary conditions, mixing foodstuffs contaminated with bacteria, and that improper cold food storage had permitted bacterial growth, which was the cause of the food poisonining.
Prior to the indictment, the sandwich operator had already paid NT$2.24 million (US$70,022) in compensation to 283 people and was still working to reach a settlement with the remaining victims, the office said.
Prosecutors asked that when ruling on the case, the court take into consideration that the owner had proactively sought to settle with her customers,
However, it did not appear that prosecutors recommended a specific sentence or fine for the store owner, who continues to sell sandwiches in a location near the original location of the stand under a slightly different name.
Additional reporting by CNA
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