The toxin at fault for two food poisoning deaths was detected in the environment of the Xinyi District (信義) restaurant in question, the Taipei City Government said on Tuesday.
The announcement comes a day after the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that no bongkrek acid was found in food ingredients collected from Polam Kopitiam’s (寶林茶室) branch in Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13.
Bongkrek acid is a deadly toxin produced by the bacterium Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans, particularly in fermented coconut or corn products.
Photo: Kan Meng-lin, Taipei Times
Health officials on March 24 took samples from the restaurant including knives, cutting boards and swabs from chefs’ hands, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) told a news conference, which was moved forward to 10am from 2pm on Tuesday.
The Department of Forensic Medicine at National Taiwan University on Monday evening confirmed the presence of bongkrek acid in the kitchen environment from the samples, Chiang said.
The city has already informed law enforcement, and has requested a detailed report from the department, he said, adding that “Polam Kopitiam cannot escape responsibility for this.”
As of Monday, two people had died, five were hospitalized in intensive care units, three in general wards and 21 had returned home, while 14 total people had tested positive for bongkrek acid in their blood samples.
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