Food Safety News – July 2011
Hotel fined after Campylobacter prosecution
A hotel venue was recently been fined £4,000 after a guest suffered kidney failure as a result of eating undercooked duck.
The guest, from Northern Ireland, visited the Priest House Hotel in Castle Donington for a business conference last May. Upon returning home, he collapsed and broke his collarbone resulting in a two-week hospital stay. A further eight out of the 12 delegates at the conference reported sickness, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, fever and headaches within 36 hours of being served a "trio of duck" - breast, leg and liver - at the luxury hotel. Prosecutor Dave Gill said that all nine guests had eaten duck liver that was "pink or rare". "One delegate suffered serious symptoms from the Saturday through to the following Tuesday, when he passed out in the toilet at home, falling backwards into a shower cubicle and breaking his collarbone. "He was admitted to Ulster Hospital and treated for dehydration and the early symptoms of renal failure."
Handpicked Hotels admitted providing unsafe food and failing to have a documented food-safety management system, after sampling found the delegates were infected with campylobacter.
Richard Banwell, the hotel's solicitor, told Loughborough Magistrates' Court that staff had alerted environmental health following a complaint by the delegation. He also said the hotel, which boasted a previously unblemished record, had since introduced robust food-safety measures.
The hotel was fined £2,000 for each of the two offences and ordered to pay the council's costs of £4,258.
John Richardson, the district council's head of environmental health, said afterwards that the penalty handed down by magistrates reflected how serious this case was.
Hygiene Audit Systems advise all their clients not to serve rare or undercooked (calves, duck or chicken) liver due to the risks of campylobacter as highlighted by this case. Campylobacter can be present throughout the liver, not just on the surface. The majority of outbreaks involve products that have been prepared on site as opposed to purchased ready-made. Liver, kidneys, and other types of offal should be handled hygienically to avoid cross-contamination and cooked thoroughly until they are steaming hot all the way through, reaching a core temperature of 75°C or equivalent.
For legal advice and support, contact our team of EHP's on 01727 866779 or email principals@hygieneauditsystems.com
