Two men died of suspected food poisoning after reportedly dining at a Malaysian vegetarian restaurant in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.
All outlets of restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam were ordered to close during investigations into the deaths and hospitalisation of customers who had eaten at one of the outlets in the city, local media reported Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an as saying on March 27.
According to the Taipei Department of Health, eight people who dined at the restaurant in the Far Eastern Department Store in Xinyi District on March 19, 21 and 22 later fell sick with symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea, and sought medical help.
Among them, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on March 22 died two days later, while a 66-year-old man who ate there on March 19 died on March 27.
At least one of the eight is reported to be in the intensive care unit.
They are believed to have eaten char kway teow – a stir-fried noodle dish – among other dishes at the restaurant.
Local media reported that Taipei health officials were alerted on March 24 that it could be a case of food poisoning after one of the diners who fell ill was treated at a hospital.
Food samples were then collected from the restaurant for testing, and it was ordered to improve operations.
On March 26, the Taipei City government ordered the closure of the restaurant’s Xinyi District branch, and has since extended the order to the chain’s other outlets – which are all in the city.
According to Polam Kopitiam’s website, the Xinyi outlet’s lease is to expire on March 31, while preparations are under way for the opening of a new branch in Taipei’s East District. The restaurant chain also has outlets in the city’s Raohe Night Market and at Taipei Main Station.
Mr Chiang said that the Taipei health authorities carried out food sample testing at the restaurant, but have not found any bacteria commonly associated with food poisoning.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) director-general Wu Shou-mei said that Taipei city and TFDA officials had taken samples of food products – including cabbage, rice noodles and soya sauce – that usually have high risk of contamination on March 26, with the results expected in two weeks.
Although the restaurant passed a food safety inspection in 2022, Taipei health inspectors who visited the eatery after the suspected poisonings found several problems such as cockroach droppings on the premises, knives stored on the counter next to the sink, and a failure to provide employee health records, local media reported Ms Wu as saying.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office also said it seized surveillance footage and collected evidence at the restaurant’s premises on March 27 together with the police and the health authorities, and has assigned a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation, according to local media.
