19 struck with food poisoning after eating Sunday carvery | UK | News

It has been confirmed that 19 customers suffered food poisoning after eating lunch at a pub in England on Sunday. Cwrt Henllys Bar and Restaurant in Cwmbran, South Wales, said three to four tables were affected by the bacteria Clostridium perfringens, a food poisoning spore that grows as cooked meat cools. Torfaen Council notified the pub of the test results after the investigation into the outbreak concluded on 5 October.

“We are investigating a potential supplier issue as numerous concerns have been reported regarding contaminated turkeys,” the business said in a statement on social media. “We have made positive changes to ensure there will never be a ‘cooling off’ period as your food will move from oven to plate immediately,” he continued. “Our number one priority is to support our customers, listen to them and try to make things right.”

The bar spokesman added that only a small number of the 200 people who dined on October 5 reported illness and asked anyone who tested positive for the bacteria to contact them directly.

According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Clostridium perfringens spores often grow during cooling periods after cooking and when food is stored outside the refrigerator.

“Outbreaks of C. perfringens food poisoning tend to occur in environments where food is served to large groups of people and/or where it may be difficult to keep food at safe temperatures,” the FSA said on its website.

“This also applies to batch cooking at home, where you may leave foods to cool longer than planned while you prepare other foods.”

In a Facebook statement, the bar said it had not been given “actual physical evidence” that it was responsible for the outbreak.

“While these results bring some closure to us and our users, we are still faced with questions we will likely never find answers to,” it says.

“We could not get a positive result” [a] Food product taken and tested from our kitchen. Our environmental health team have done an absolutely fantastic job and we have worked very closely with them regarding our processes and have had all their advice and support.

“We were never advised to close our kitchen and there was never any further risk to our community.”

The Express has contacted Cwrt Henllys Bar and Restaurant for further comment.