The investigation into the outbreak found 64 confirmed or probable cases of norovirus, which can cause gastro. Photo: James Coleman.
A report has found that workers at a Canberra catering company lacked proper staff sinks, which likely contributed to an outbreak of a highly contagious illness.
In November 2022, ACT Health received complaints from people who became ill after attending two events where they had eaten food prepared by the same business.
An investigation ultimately found 64 people, including seven confirmed cases, who were ill after eating food from the business.
In a recently released report from the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Australian Centre for Disease Control, investigators identified the likely source of the outbreak as being in the food preparation process.
“The source of the contamination was most likely an infected food handler at the catering business and not a specific ingredient, as no outbreaks were detected outside of event attendees and their contacts, and there were foods with unrelated ingredients associated with illness on univariate analysis,” the report found.
According to the report, the unnamed business was also implicated in a previous outbreak of foodborne norovirus in 2019.
During the investigation, 110 people who attended five events catered by the business were surveyed, out of a total of 134 attendees.
Their symptoms included vomiting and nausea, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, muscle pain and lethargy. Six people sought medical attention, including four who visited the emergency department.
Seven faecal specimens from attendees were also tested during the investigation, with all returning a positive result for norovirus.
Norovirus is a cause of gastroenteritis and is highly contagious. It can be spread by direct contact with the human faeces or vomitus of an infected person, or if a symptomatic or asymptomatic person excretes the virus.
Investigators found the illness was “significantly associated” with people who ate vegetarian rice paper rolls, sushi (especially teriyaki beef or tuna sushi) and roast beef wraps.
Investigators found that two kinds of sushi were among the foods linked to the food poisoning outbreak. Photo: File.
Additionally, a food handler at the catering company reported that their child had been ill in the week preceding the outbreak, although they had no apparent symptoms.
This worker was involved in preparing sushi, wraps, vegetarian rice paper rolls and sausage rolls.
Three employees from the business – one food handler and two drivers – also became ill with gastrointestinal illness during the week of 14 November 2022.
All three had eaten food made on the business’s premises and did not have sick contacts, the report said.
The catering company was inspected in November. While the premises were generally clean and well-maintained, they were non-compliant in three areas.
There was no separate food preparation sink, the walk-in freezer floor wasn’t clean and needed to be replaced, and there was potential for cross-contamination in the freezer.
“Other issues that were identified included handwashing sinks in the staff toilets too small to allow effective handwashing, no documented staff exclusion policy, and inadequately maintained staff illness records,” the report said.
Also, the report recommends further education for businesses as they prepare food, including those implicated in disease outbreaks.
“Catering businesses in the ACT should be reminded of appropriate hand hygiene and food handling practices, as well as the exclusion from work requirements for food handlers with gastroenteritis, to assist in [the] prevention of these outbreaks.”
