Salmonella cases linked to school bread rise to 208

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Salmonella cases linked to school bread rise to 208

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency [YONHAP]

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency [YONHAP]

 
Additional cases of food poisoning linked to bread products served in school meals have been confirmed in Sejong and Buan County, North Jeolla, following earlier outbreaks in North Chungcheong.
 
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Friday that there have been four confirmed clusters of salmonella infections related to bread products to date, with the number of symptomatic individuals rising to 208.
 

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The first cases were reported on May 15, when students at two group meal facilities in Cheongju and Jincheon, North Chungcheong, showed symptoms of food poisoning after eating bread served in their school meals.
 
Health authorities found the same genotype of salmonella bacteria in both the food samples and patient specimens.
 
On June 5, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety ordered a recall and suspension of sales of two bread products identified as the source: “High-Calcium Strawberry Cream Roll Cake” and “High-Calcium Korean Wheat Choco Banana Bread." Both items were manufactured by the food processing company Mother Goose and distributed by Foodmerce, a subsidiary of Pulmuone. The products carried expiration dates of Oct. 12 and Sept. 21, respectively.
 
Authorities later discovered two additional outbreaks in Sejong and Buan, also suspected to be linked to the same bread products. Both locations served the strawberry cream roll cake on May 15 and 16.
 
The number of reported symptomatic cases currently stands at 120 in Cheongju, 35 in Jincheon, 18 in Sejong and 35 in Buan.
 
The KDCA said it is continuing to monitor other facilities that received deliveries of the implicated products for any additional symptomatic cases.
 
A Foodmerce representative previously said the company had distributed approximately 27,000 units of the two products nationwide to food service sites. Upon detecting suspected cases of foodborne illness, the company halted all deliveries and voluntarily recalled and discarded the remaining stock.
 
The KDCA advised anyone experiencing diarrhea or vomiting after consuming the products to seek medical care immediately. Facilities that detect two or more symptomatic individuals are urged to report the incident to local public health centers.
 
The agency also noted that salmonella infections tend to increase with rising temperatures. The illness is typically caused by consuming contaminated food, especially undercooked eggs or poultry.  
 
The KDCA recommended cooking such foods to a core temperature of at least 75 degrees Celsius (167 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than one minute. It also emphasized the importance of washing hands thoroughly with running water and detergent after handling eggs to prevent cross-contamination.


Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]
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