61 Taoyuan lunchbox shop customers fall ill from suspected food poisoning

Taipei, April 14 (CNA) Shang Ye barbecue rice (上野烤肉飯) lunchbox store's Neili, Taoyuan branch was ordered to close after 61 customers fell ill with suspected food poisoning, the city's Department of Health said Tuesday.

As of 4:30 p.m., the number of people who sought medical treatment for vomiting, diarrhea and stomachaches after recent meals at the shop had risen to 61, up from 38 at noon, the health department said in a news release.

Most of those sickened had purchased a boxed lunch or dinner from the store on Monday, it added.

After being notified of the suspected cases, the department said it ordered the shop to halt operations and dispatched health officials to inspect the store's food preparation processes, work environment and staff hygiene, and food storage conditions.

Health officials also took environmental samples and samples of high-risk food items, testing on which will take 3-5 weeks, the department said.

If health inspectors find evidence that the shop was violating good hygiene practices (GHP), it will be required to make improvements within a limited time, or else face fines of NT$60,000 (US$1,899) to NT$200 million under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation.

Meanwhile, if sample testing confirms the customers' illnesses were caused by food poisoning, the shop will be referred to prosecutors for a criminal investigation, the city government said.