Taoyuan sandwich seller indicted over suspected food safety violation

Taoyuan, March 29 (CNA) Prosecutors on Friday indicted the owner of a Vietnamese-French sandwich shop in Taoyuan for alleged contravention of a food safety law after hundreds of her customers fell ill to food poisoning last year.

The female suspect, who operated a sandwich stand at a traditional market in Taoyuan's Zhongli District, was indicted for violating provisions of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, according to the indictment.

The charges stem from an investigation launched after the city's Department of Public Health received reports of more than 500 people coming down with symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and fever after eating sandwiches purchased at the stand Aug. 2-3, 2023.

Twelve of the victims tested positive for salmonella, prosecutors said, and a subsequent inspection of the vendor's premises conducted by the health department identified multiple problems related to food hygiene and the refrigeration of ingredients.

Food samples were also collected for testing, which were later confirmed as having salmonella and bacillus cereus, prosecutors said.

The owner was forthcoming about what happened and contacted the victims on her own to discuss compensation, the office said, explaining why prosecutors did not feel there was a need to seize her assets.

Prior to the indictment, the sandwich operator had already paid NT$2.24 million (US$70,187) in compensation to 283 people and was still working to reach a settlement with the remaining victims, the office said.

Taking into account that the owner has proactively sought to settle with her customers, prosecutors asked that the court take that into consideration when ruling on the case.

It did not appear, however, that prosecutors recommended a specific sentence and/or fine for the store owner, who continues to sell sandwiches in a location near the original location under a slightly different name.