A batch of tuna, possible cause of the poisoning of 66 people in Almería

A group of 66 people suffered food poisoning on Tuesday in Macael (Almería), which has already caused 15 of them to require hospital care.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
25 May 2023 Thursday 05:10
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A batch of tuna, possible cause of the poisoning of 66 people in Almería

A group of 66 people suffered food poisoning on Tuesday in Macael (Almería), which has already caused 15 of them to require hospital care. The cause, presumably, would be a specific batch of tuna in poor condition "in origin" that was served to the workers in the canteen of the Cosentino company.

The last mass poisoning occurred a few months ago, in February, and left more than a hundred people affected. On that occasion, it was a salmonella outbreak at Casa Dani in Madrid, renowned for its iconic potato tortillas. And it is that, in restaurants and food services, any mistake can become a real headache.

Now, a batch of tuna that was in poor condition "in origin", explains the Territorial Health Delegation, could be the reason for this incident. The events occurred in the food service that the Cosentino company offers its employees at its headquarters in Macael. Nearly a thousand people eat there every day, so it is estimated that many workers ate the tuna included in the menu and did not get food poisoning.

While waiting for the open investigation to progress, the hypothesis being handled is that the poisoning comes from a specific batch, coming from the supplier that usually supplies the restaurant that cooks for the company's catering, according to company sources have explained to EFE.

From Cosentino they have ensured that both in the process of the cold chain and in the cooking, which is carried out in an establishment near the headquarters of the company where it is served, "everything was done correctly". For this reason, it is insisted that it would be the product that was in poor condition "in origin".

The outbreak has affected 66 people, of whom 15 required hospital care. 14 of them were treated at the La Inmaculada Hospital and one more at the Torrecárdenas University Hospital, all of them with "mild" symptoms and have already been discharged.

Another 51 people have been treated in the health centers of the region and in general they are all evolving favorably. The Epidemiology services of the North Health Management Area and the Territorial Health Delegation continue to investigate the possible origin of the poisoning.