Salmonella identified as cause of food poisoning that sickened 254 people in Gia Lai

Gia Lai food safety authorities have identified the mixed banh mi sold by the Bin Bin household business as the source of an outbreak that sickened 254 people. The cause was the bacterium Salmonella spp.

Testing by the Western Highlands Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology found Salmonella in a vomit sample from one patient. Three of 11 food-ingredient samples collected at Bin Bin also tested positive: pâté, dried chicken and fried fish cake. All three were used to prepare the mixed banh mi.

Based on the laboratory results, the epidemiological investigation and the patients’ clinical progression, officials linked the outbreak to banh mi bought from the business between 8 p.m. on Aug. 23 and 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 24. Patients mainly suffered acute gastroenteritis symptoms, including abdominal pain and cramps, repeated diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever and fatigue. Some also reported headaches. Symptoms generally appeared after an incubation period of about four to 36 hours.

Bin Bin operates from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and sells about 200 banh mi a day. It had business registration, a food-safety eligibility certificate and records showing food-safety training. Its ingredients came from suppliers in Gia Lai, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City, while the business prepared its own pâté and braised pork. Because it sold directly to customers without recording buyer information, officials could not determine exactly how many people ate the sandwiches during the exposure period.

The business halted production and sales to support the investigation. Officials asked An Khe authorities to review banh mi producers and sellers, improve training on ingredient control, personal hygiene, cross-contamination prevention and food storage, and impose administrative penalties on Bin Bin under the rules. The number of hospitalized people had initially been reported as 78 before rising to 254, including four patients transferred to Gia Lai Provincial General Hospital.