A KITCHEN stick blender contaminated with salmonella was the source of a mass food poisoning outbreak in Brisbane early this year.
About 250 people, mostly state school principals, fell ill and 24 people were admitted to hospital after eating at an education conference at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in February.
Documents obtained by The Courier-Mail show that investigators examining the outbreak found bacteria on several kitchen utensils, with that bacteria “incubated’’ during the cooking process.
Test results from the investigation showed the people who fell ill were sick with the same strain of salmonella found on a kitchen stick blender “which demonstrates the source of the outbreak”.
The documents rule out the possibility the outbreak was caused by eggs being contaminated before they arrived at the convention centre.
“(Redacted) suggested that if the eggs were contaminated when they arrived, that this was the cause, however I advised ... that poor cleaning and sanitising of the stick blender was the ultimate cause,’’ the documents say.
“(Redacted) questioned why the Sal. was not killed during the cooking process of the bread butter pudding. I advised that the QH microbiologist suggest that 140deg was not hot enough to kill Sal, but rather it was an incubation temp.’’
Brisbane City Council is now considering prosecuting the operators, with a decision due by the end of this year.
Documents show the centre lost their five-star food safety rating from the council in the wake of the test results and they are yet to regain it.
A food safety audit found a “breakdown in cleaning and sanitising processes as indicated by the following positive swabs from 17/03/15”, with poor hand washing the reason for e.coli being found.
They found salmonella on a larger robotic mixer and B. cereus, a bacteria that causes food poisoning, on a smaller mixer, pastry brush and a whisk.
Convention centre general manager Robert O’Keeffe said the incident was the first of its type in the centre’s 20-year history.
“Since the reported cases of illness, we have undertaken independent food safety audits, continued our testing processes for the sourcing, processing and delivery of safe food to our guests,” he said.j
“All of our cooking practices and processes are monitored and recorded on our 24-hour computerised food safety monitoring system.”
He said the blender at the centre of the controversy had been removed and whole eggs taken off the menu.
“This means no eggshells, which potentially carry pathogens, will ever come into BCEC’s kitchens,” he said.
The centre passed a rigorous food safety audit in May, Mr O’Keeffe said.
He said during the salmonella outbreak the eggs were not being sourced from their regular supplier.
Source: The Courier-Mail, Rose Brennan, 2nd November 2015
Originally published as: Brisbane Convention Centre food poisoning caused by salmonella on stick blender
