More than 70 workers poisoned: Kitchen not hygienic

Many workers had to be hospitalized after lunch - Photo: THAI DUONG

On the morning of May 29, Mr. Tran Minh Tue - Deputy Director of Nghe An Province Department of Health - said that by the morning of the same day, all 71 workers who were poisoned at MLB Tenergy Company Limited (Viet Nhat Garment Company - PV) located in Yen Thanh district had stabilized their health and were discharged from the hospital to return home.

According to a report from the Nghe An Province Food Safety and Hygiene Department, at 1:00 p.m. on May 28, a suspected food poisoning incident occurred at MLB Tenergy Company during lunch that same day.

There are 1,416 workers divided into two shifts eating in the company kitchen. The first shift eats at 11:15 with 650 people and the second shift eats at 11:55 with 766 people.

The workers' lunch dishes include: rice, fried silver pomfret, boiled eggs, stir-fried squash with bean sprouts, pumpkin soup with meat and mango (dessert).

By 1 p.m. the same day, some workers had symptoms of red faces, rapid heartbeat, headaches, high blood pressure, and nausea. A series of workers then developed similar symptoms.

At around 5:00 p.m. on May 28, a total of 71 cases showed the above symptoms and were taken to two hospitals for emergency care and treatment.

After treatment, the workers began to stabilize their health and were discharged home one by one.

Leaders of the Department of Health, the Food Safety and Hygiene Department of Nghe An province, leaders of Yen Thanh district and other relevant agencies visited and encouraged the poisoned workers. At the same time, the delegation visited the company and its kitchen to clarify the cause of the incident.

During a site inspection at the company's kitchen, authorities discovered many problems such as: the waste collection system had no lid and was not hygienic; the wastewater drainage system was not hygienic.

There are insects in the food processing area; the processing table is not safe (there are broken tiles); food samples are not stored in accordance with regulations on quantity and the sample storage cabinet is not hygienic.

After working, the investigation team took 9 food samples for testing to determine the cause of the incident.

MLB Tenergy Co., Ltd. is 100% Japanese-owned, operating since 2013, specializing in manufacturing and processing garments for export, creating jobs for more than 1,500 local workers.

The company's food supply is provided by a private enterprise in Hoa Thanh commune, Yen Thanh, Nghe An.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vu-hon-70-cong-nhan-ngo-doc-bep-an-khong-dam-bao-ve-sinh-20240529104655645.htm