Around 80 workers at several workplaces in Kemalpaşa, an industrial district east of İzmir, were taken to hospital with suspected food poisoning after eating meals supplied by the same catering company, Turkish news agencies reported late on Oct. 13.
The workers developed nausea and vomiting some time after eating lunch delivered by a local food company to a number of businesses in the district. Similar complaints were reported among staff at different workplaces served by the firm.
Patients spread across five hospitals
Those affected were taken to Kemalpaşa State Hospital as well as Turgutlu State Hospital and Manisa City Hospital in neighbouring Manisa province, Bornova Türkan Özilhan State Hospital and Ege University Hospital in İzmir. Their condition was reported to be good, and no one was said to be in life-threatening danger.
Food samples were taken from the facility where the meals were prepared and sent to a laboratory. Test results are expected to show whether the food caused the illness, and an investigation is under way. The name of the catering company has not been made public.
Catered meals in industrial zones
Kemalpaşa, about 30 kilometres from central İzmir, is home to a large organised industrial zone and many factories, logistics depots and agricultural businesses. As in other industrial areas of Türkiye, many employers there provide workers with a daily hot meal, usually prepared in central kitchens by contract caterers and delivered in bulk.
Because one kitchen can serve hundreds or thousands of people at different sites, a single hygiene failure can affect large numbers of workers at once. Mass food-poisoning incidents linked to catered meals are reported regularly in Türkiye, often in summer and early autumn when higher temperatures make it easier for bacteria to multiply if food is not kept properly chilled or heated.
What to do if you suspect food poisoning
Health authorities advise anyone who develops vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or stomach cramps after a meal to drink plenty of fluids and seek medical help, especially children, older people, pregnant women and those with chronic illnesses. Public hospital emergency departments in Türkiye treat all patients, including foreigners, and residents with health insurance can also use their family doctor.
In Türkiye, suspected food safety problems at restaurants, caterers or shops can be reported to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s food line, ALO 174, which triggers an inspection by provincial food control officials. Inspectors can take samples, impose fines and, in serious cases, publicly name businesses that sell unsafe or adulterated food on the ministry’s website.
Sources
- İzmir Kemalpaşa’da gıda zehirlenmesi şüphesi: 80 işçi hastaneye kaldırıldı (Milliyet / DHA)
- Kemalpaşa’da gıda zehirlenmesi: 80 işçi hastanelik oldu (İHA)
Photo: BSRF / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
