Diners at mercy of dodgy staff

Lauren James was hit by campylobacter. Photo / Doug Sherring

It's enough to put you off the drink: a hotel patron was hospitalised after mixing her whisky with a cleaning product left on the bar in a water jug.

In the 2009 incident, which came to light during Herald on Sunday inquiries into Food Safety Act breaches, the woman mixed a whisky she had bought with what she thought was water from a jug at the bar.

After taking a sip she rushed to the toilet saying that her mouth was burning. A 61-year-old man dipped his finger in the jug and put it in his mouth to taste it, and he too was hospitalised.

It is one of the worst cases in Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry papers, released under the Official Information Act, showing that the number of reported cases of food poisoning peaked in recent years at 124 in 2009.

Diners reported developing symptoms after consuming a range of meals including chicken, sushi, oysters, pizza, honeycomb, burgers and canned fish.

The documents - which have the name of the complainant and restaurant concerned blanked out - contain many unusual tales:

A woman who discovered a caterpillar in her salad had the same meal returned, minus the bug.

More than half of a group of birthday diners were struck down with symptoms of norovirus, after eating a buffet meal on August 14 last year. The restaurant involved was required to close for cleaning.

A man ate half his steak-and-mushroom pie before finding it was filled with mould. He returned the pie and was given a refund. A warning letter was sent to the owner.

Sixty-six guests at a wedding catering for 180 in January last year suffered food-poisoning symptoms from a suspect chicken curry.

Two separate groups of people suffered severe stomach cramping, diarrhoea and vomiting after eating dodgy oysters from the same outlet. The batch number of the oysters could not be tracked down.

The papers also reveal some scary behind-the-scenes behaviour at restaurants. Investigations in the wake of complaints show basic hygiene and food-safety practices were not carried out at some outlets:

At one, staff did not wash their hands before preparing seafood.

A food handler worked with an open wound on his arm.

At a kebab shop, investigators found cooked meat was shaved directly on to the drip tray and the same utensils were used for different meats.

MAF spokesman Geoff Allen said he did not see trends developing but he said careful preparation was needed at home and people should choose restaurants carefully.

Suspected breaches of the Food Act can be reported to MAF and district health boards.

CHOOK MADE ME CROOK

It can take weeks to recover from food poisoning - just ask Lauren James.

The Aucklander, 24, became ill in Levin at a hockey tournament some years ago after eating chicken pasta.

She started to feel "horribly unwell" even though teammates were unaffected. "I was extremely tired and had diarrhoea - it lasted for a couple of weeks."

Her symptoms became increasingly serious, including weakness and dehydration, prompting her to see a doctor who diagnosed campylobacter - a common cause of food poisoning.

James recovered after taking a course of antibiotics.