Cafeteria, Bakery, Pastry Factory Shut in North after Food Poisoning
A cafeteria at a Tripoli vocational school was shut down on Sunday as well as a bakery and a pastry factory in the northern region of Akkar, after at least 10 people suffered food poisoning due to their consumption of cheese-filled pastries.
“After taking five samples from the al-Ammouri Bakery and the cafeteria of the Abi Samra Vocational School in Tripoli and sending them to the lab of the Commerce and Industry Chamber for analysis, it turned out that the water sample taken from the cafeteria was contaminated with the E. coli bacteria,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The Akkawi cheese meanwhile was contaminated with the staphylococcus aureus bacteria with levels that are “16 times higher than the tolerable level,” the ministry added, noting that the sample was also being examined for the suspected presence of the listeria bacteria.
“The non-filled pastries taken from the al-Ammouri Bakery turned out to be compatible with the health standards while the Akkawi cheese at the bakery turned out to contain the staphylococcus aureus and E. coli bacterias,” the ministry said.
“The cheese is being tested for suspected listeria while the results for the factory in the Akkar area have not come out yet and are expected to be released tomorrow morning,” the ministry added.
Accordingly, Tripoli Prosecutor Judge Wael al-Hassan ordered the closure of the factory, the bakery and the cafeteria pending the release of the results of the lab tests, the ministry said.
“The Ministry of Health will announce the final results once they are released and the necessary measures will be taken,” it added.
On Saturday, at least ten people suffered food poisoning after eating at the school's cafeteria before they were transferred to the Dar al-Shifa hospital.
Seven of the victims were identified as Azwa Abdullah, Nadine al-Masri, Fatima Samadi, Hilal Thamin, Hiba Rifaat, Badrieh Nassif, and Rayan Sharif.
They were all in stable condition on Saturday.
Y.R.
(File picture courtesy of sheikhbros.com)
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