Kaohsiung restaurant vows to take responsibility after suspected food poisoning

Kaohsiung, April 29 (CNA) The owner of the Hi-Lai Harbour restaurant branch at Kaohsiung Arena said Monday the outlet is working to improve food safety and will take full responsibility if the restaurant is found to be linked to a recent suspected food poisoning outbreak.

As of 9 a.m. Monday, the number of people who have sought medical attention for suspected food poisoning after dining at the upscale buffet restaurant in Kaohsiung's Zuoying District on Friday and Saturday last week has increased to 52 since Saturday, when 11 diners were first reported to have fallen ill, the city's health authorities said in a statement Monday.

All of the 52 patients reported diarrhea and abdominal pain, while a handful also suffered from nausea and vomiting, it added.

The health department said the 52 patients had all eaten afternoon tea or dinner on Friday or lunch on Saturday at the buffet restaurant.

An investigation into the suspected food poisoning outbreak is underway and all samples collected from the restaurant's kitchen workers and the people who became ill are still undergoing microbiological culture testing, according to the Kaohsiung City Health Department.

Meanwhile, Hi-Lai Foods Co., the restaurant's owner, issued a statement Monday, apologizing to those who fell ill after dining at the restaurant, saying the cause of the incident is still under investigation and the company will conduct a post-incident review and devise operational improvement measures.

The company said it will shoulder all relevant responsibilities based on the investigation results and soon initiate insurance claim applications, adding that its affiliated restaurants are all covered by product and public liability insurance policies.

Pending the release of the test results, the Kaohsiung restaurant voluntarily closed on Saturday and Sunday to undergo extensive cleaning, and will continue to suspend operations on Monday and Tuesday to conduct staff training on food sanitation standards in order to ensure improvements are made, according to the company.

The local health department said in its Monday statement that the restaurant should implement improvement plans based on the inspection and investigation results, while strengthening internal controls and retraining staff to ensure restaurant food safety before the end of the suspension period on Tuesday.

City health officials will undertake a follow-up inspection this week and if sanitation issues persist, the restaurant could be subject to fines of NT$60,000 to NT$200 million (US$1,839-US$6.13 million), the health department has said, citing the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation.