CASES involving food poisoning often make headlines, particularly if there are a lot of victims.
The latest clutch to feature in the news have involved holidaymakers in Spain – particularly the resort of Benidorm.
We tend to be forgiving of those, such as restaurateurs or food shop owners, who may unwittingly have passed on alreadyinfected food and then take the necessary steps to remedy the problem.
Examples that spring to mind include celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, whose restaurant was closed and deep cleaned following an outbreak associated with seafood.
Those who do not attract our sympathy, or that of the courts, are those who seek to deny or cover up the offence. That was discovered to their cost by the owners of a restaurant in West Yorkshire in May last year. They were handed down suspended prison sentences and banned for life from working with food following an outbreak that affected at least 64 people. Their fault was compounded by an attempt to obstruct the investigation.
Bradford’s environmental health manager, Angela Brindle, is quoted as saying:
“Looking into this case was made even more difficult by one of the proprietors not disclosing themselves as a bona fide owner of the restaurant until nine months into the investigation.”