Hotel banquet hall suspends service after 62 diners fall ill

New Taipei, April 2 (CNA) The banquet hall of the Gala de Chine Hotel in Xinzhuang District has suspended operations after 62 people reported feeling unwell with gastroenteritis after dining there, the New Taipei Health Department said Tuesday.

The problems occurred during two spring parties held by Watsons, a health care and beauty care chain store, at the banquet hall on March 26 and 27, attended by a combined 2,201 people.

Of them, 62 reported feeling unwell after meals, including nine people who sought medical treatment but were not admitted to hospital. Most of the 62 people experienced diarrhea and some vomiting, the health department said.

The department said it received a report on the situation on March 31 and dispatched personnel later that day to inspect the Gala De Chine's Jingguan Hall in accordance with the Regulations on Good Hygiene Practice for Food.

It found some hygiene issues, such as a dirty floor where the kitchen's dishes are cleaned and uncovered trash cans.

The hotel was ordered Monday to suspend the banquet hall's operations and make improvements within a time limit that the department did not specify.

Failure to comply could result in a fine between NT$60,000-NT$200 million (US$1,870-US$6.24 million) for violating the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, according to the department.

During the inspection of the banquet hall on Sunday, the department found that none of the food served at the Watsons banquets was left over, but it took samples of seafood and other ingredients that were on the banquet menus.

If the samples fail food safety compliance testing, and the hotel fails to make improvements within the required time limit, it could face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$3 million.

The test results should be available within two weeks, said Yang Shu-chin (楊舒秦), head of the department's Food and Drug Division.

The hotel operator, FDC International Hotels Corp., said in a statement Tuesday that it is fully cooperating with the health department in its investigation by providing the necessary documents and samples.

It said it also helped with the inspection of workplace sanitation and the kitchen staff's hygiene practices.

FDC International Hotels Corp. was established in 2012 and is based in New Taipei, primarily engaged in international tourism accommodations, dining, and banquet services.

Its portfolio includes the Yunpin Hot Spring Hotel Sun Moon Lake, Palais de Chine Hotel Taipei, Gala De Luxe, and Yipin Hotel.

This latest food safety incident follows on the heels of a food poisoning outbreak at the Xinyi branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam in Taipei that has left two people dead and five people still in critical condition after eating at the restaurant between March 19 and March 24.