Food cooked near toilet might have caused poisoning; contractor didn’t have licence, says FDA.
About 148 people of a wedding party, including the groom, took ill due to suspected food poisoning on Sunday morning, after having dinner at the wedding ceremony in Bandra. Forty-eight of them, including 13 children, are undergoing treatment at Bhabha Hospital.
Officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the place where the food was prepared was not hygienic and that might have caused the food poisoning.
According to the FDA officials, the food contractor didn’t have licence and the place where the food was prepared and kept near the toilet.
The groom, Shafi Shaikh (23), complained of stomach pain and started vomiting after having food.
“I feel bad that it happened because of my wedding food,” said Shaikh, who rushed to the Bhabha Hospital at 5am on Sunday. Shaikh, who works as a salesman, was sent home after treatment.
Hospital authorities said people started trickling in from Sunday morning. “About 148 people were rushed to hospital with complaints of vomiting and diarrhoea. Of these, we have admitted 45,” said Dr Shashikant Wadekar, medical superintendent, Bhabha Hospital.
“The patients were treated with antibiotics and intravenous fluids. The blood, stools and vomit samples were sent to laboratory for analysis,” he said, adding that they are all stable.
According to the Shaikhs, about 1,000 people attended the wedding. The food consisted of chicken saag, chicken curry, naan, pav and white gourd sweet (dudhi halwa). “Most of these patients vomited nearly 30 times and were dehydrated. Some had diarrhoea and nausea symptoms,” said Dr Wadekar.
Two-year-old Ikra Sayeed was one of the few who were badly affected. “I fed her chicken and chawal. She vomited at least 10 times. She is now doing good,” said Fatima, Ikra’s mother.
“We are still trying to find out the cause of the food poisoning. The place where the food was prepared was indeed unhygienic. The groom’s family was the first to fall ill and they threw the food,” said Suresh Deshmukh, assistant commissioner, FDA.
Around 75% of food poisoning cases can be avoided if people take simple precautions such as check if the food contractor has a valid licence and if the area where the food is cooked is clean and hygienic, he advised. Awareness is required to stop such mass casualties.”
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