An issue regarding food safety has emerged at the “Bao Lin Tea House Xinyi A13” in the Xinyi District of Taipei City. On the 22nd of this month, a pair of friends dined at the restaurant. Unexpectedly, both felt unwell after returning home. One of them sought medical attention at the San-Chung Hospital in New Taipei City, later transferred to Taipei Mackay Memorial Hospital, where despite efforts, they succumbed to the illness. The other visited a clinic for treatment. Taipei City Health Bureau confirmed receiving this report. The two individuals developed symptoms after consuming vegetarian fried rice noodles at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on the same day, with one of them dying and the other experiencing mild symptoms upon visiting the clinic. Inspections have been conducted at the restaurant, collecting samples from the chef’s hands, utensils, cutting boards, and the results are pending. Currently, it is treated as a suspected case undergoing further investigation.
According to reports from Taiwanese media outlets such as the United Daily News and TVBS, one of the individuals affected by the food poisoning incident works for a well-known foreign financial institution in the Xinyi District, with the office located near Xinyi Far Eastern Department Store. The suspected death of this employee due to food poisoning has caused a significant shock in Taipei’s financial circles.
The Taipei City Health Bureau stated that on March 24th, it received a notification from the New Taipei City Health Bureau regarding two individuals who dined at the A13 restaurant on March 22nd, consuming vegetarian fried rice noodles. These individuals began experiencing symptoms at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on the same day. One of them sought medical attention at Taipei Mackay Memorial Hospital after initially visiting San-Chung Hospital, resulting in death. The other visited a clinic on March 24th with mild symptoms.
Upon receiving the notification from New Taipei City, the Taipei City Health Bureau immediately conducted an inspection at the A13 restaurant. There were no health inspection reports for the staff, and the utensils were found unclean. Since there were no leftover ingredients or kitchen waste from the same batch, samples were collected from the chef’s hands, utensils, and cutting boards. Additionally, fecal samples were collected from patients at San-Chung Hospital.
The Taipei City Health Bureau emphasized that the results of the related inspections are pending. If the same pathogenic bacteria are detected in samples from the chef’s hands, utensils, cutting boards, and the patients’ fecal samples, it will be considered a confirmed case of food poisoning. As of now, it is treated as a suspected case under continuous investigation.
It is understood that neither of the two individuals had consumed any food that could potentially cause food poisoning, and from March 20th to March 22nd, a total of 25 people had ordered the same dish at the restaurant, with 10 on March 22nd. However, no other reports have been received thus far.
According to Taiwan’s current procedures for investigating food poisoning cases, if six or more people who have consumed the same food exhibit symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea and seek medical attention, the establishment will be required to cease operations. Currently, only two people have sought medical attention, and it is still difficult to determine if food caused the death. Therefore, the restaurant has not been ordered to close.