Officials say critical health violations found in kitchen after Calgary E. coli outbreak
Adriana LaGrange and other health officials at a news conference in Calgary on Tuesday morning to provide an update on the situation.As of Tuesday, 264 lab-confirmed cases were linked to the outbreak, with 25 in hospital and 22 patients developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe kidney complication.Alberta Health Services said six children are receiving peritoneal dialysis at Alberta Children’s Hospital, with other patients receiving care at three outpatient clinics in Calgary hospitals.The kitchen had been inspected four times in 2023, with the last inspection prior to the outbreak occurring in April 2023.
Two violations had been noted, but they were fixed and the kitchen had no violations as of the end of April 2023.The kitchen was inspected after the outbreak was discovered and inspectors found five violations: three serious violations relating to food handling, sanitation and pest control; and two non-critical violations relating to odour and the storage of some utensils.Two live cockroaches and at least 20 dead cockroaches were found near the dishwashing area, according to the health inspection report.Sanitizing liquid was not being properly mixed, resulting in a zero per cent concentration of sanitizer, the report reads.It goes on to say the operator said cold foods were being transported to other locations in over 90 minutes without proper temperature control.The non-critical violations were regarding a sewer smell in the kitchen, a pool of water due to a leak near the dishwashing area and a thermometer being stored in an unsanitary place.Previous inspection reports also found violations, including cleanliness and sanitation issues, an expired food handling certificate and inadequate handwashing
. Read more on globalnews.ca
