Food poisoning in a hospital staff canteen

Abstract

Eighty-two confirmed cases of salmonella food poisoning arose among hospital staff due to consuming contaminated tartar sauce served in the staff canteen. Many key personnel were affected and the hospital was closed to non-urgent admissions. In order to maintain the accident and trauma services, the normal policy of excluding infected persons from work had to be modified. Staff returned to work 48 h after they had become asymptomatic provided that they did not have contact with patients' mouths, food or drink. There were no secondary cases. During the investigation of the outbreak, lack of national guidelines for the preparation and handling of mayonnaise-based food products became apparent.