THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 50 people suffered food poisoning after consuming food from a restaurant at Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram. Following the incident, the Food Safety authorities sealed the restaurant -- New Spicy Multi-cuisine Foodbay -- located near Temple Road at Varkala after serving them notice.
Preliminary investigation found the food poisoning happened to people who bought parcels from the restaurant on Thursday evening.
After midnight, those who consumed the parcel from the restaurant fell sick with fever, chills, diarrhoea, stomach pain, vomiting and other discomforts. Those who became symptomatic were admitted to various hospitals -- Paripally Medical College Hospital, Varkala Taluk Hospital, Sivagiri Sree Narayana Guru Mission Hospital at Varkala.
Food Safety Officer Praveen R C said almost everyone who suffered food poisoning consumed Arabic food bought from the restaurant. “We suspect mayonnaise could be the cause and it should be consumed within 2 hours after preparation. Also keeping the mayonnaise along with hot food parcels can trigger microbial growth in it that could cause food poisoning,” said Praveen.
Following complaints, the food safety authorities inspected the restaurant on Friday morning. The squad collected samples from the restaurant. The officials said the lab results will come within five days.
“A majority of the patients are admitted to Sivagiri Sree Narayana Mission Hospital. Though the victims are still symptomatic, their condition is stable. They are kept under observation and will be discharged after two or three days,” said Praveen.
The Food Safety authorities have urged the hospital authorities to carry out a blood check on the patients to find out the real cause of food poisoning.
“We will know more clearly when the blood results come out as we will be able to know which food caused food poisoning,” Praveen added. A hearing will be held at the district food safety office before taking any further action against the restaurant.