Following the investigations carried out in recent weeks by the Food Safety Service of the Ministry of Health to clarify the causes of the outbreak of food poisoning in which 149 children and 5 teachers were affected in four schools in Palma de Mallorca last December, the Directorate General of Public Health has decided to temporarily suspend the activity of the company responsible for the catering service in these centres.
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Health temporarily suspends the activity of the company responsible for the outbreak
According to the documentation collected and the analysis of the surveys conducted with the handlers, there are discrepancies between the declared practice and the documentation submitted by the catering company in its Food Safety Plan.
Therefore, the company’s food safety management program has been considered not by the actual processes carried out. The version provided by the program does not demonstrate that it fulfils its purpose of analyzing and controlling hazards and critical points where food contamination can occur, putting public health at risk. On the other hand, to date, the company has not provided any information, analysis or data to suggest that it knows the causes of the food safety failure and its mitigation measures, which generates uncertainty about the corrective measures it will implement to avoid future risks to public health.
Given these findings, the Directorate General of Public Health temporarily suspends the activity of this company until it redesigns its food safety program. Public Health takes this measure of temporary cessation of activity of the central kitchen given the evident shortcomings in the food safety management system presented by the company. This decision seeks to ensure the safety and health of the population, prioritizing the prevention and correction of practices that may endanger the integrity of consumers.
For its part, the Regional Ministry of Education and Universities has already sent a communication to the centres affected by the temporary suspension of the activity of service and preparation of meals in the central kitchen of that company, announcing that from this Monday, January 8, and until further notice, the dining room service will continue to be offered normally through a subcontracting catering service.
The food under suspicion was a rice broth that was served as a menu and the outbreak of food poisoning, which occurred last December 20, finally affected a total of 149 students and 5 teachers in four schools. The centres were CEIP Maria Antònia Salvà, with 52 children and 2 teachers affected; CEIP Cas Capiscol, with 71 children and 2 teachers; CEIP Aina Moll, with 20 children affected, and CEIP Es Viver, with 6 children and 1 teacher.
The affected persons presented a picture of abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, all of mild course, and there was no hospital admission.