The Park gastro outbreak: Food safety expert weighs in on possible culprits for Melbourne’s wedding-from-hell where guests fell ill

A food safety expert has told what may have caused a major outbreak of food poisoning at a popular wedding venue.

Attendees at two separate events at The Park in Melbourne were struck by suspected food poisoning last week.

At a conference dinner held by the Australian & New Zealand Burn Association (ANZBA) on September 13, at least 70 doctors showed symptoms of suspected gastroenteritis.

Three days later, at least thirty wedding guests were reported sick after attending a dinner at the Albert Park venue.

Roasted chicken breast was served as the main course at both events.

Gary Kennedy, food scientist and owner of Correct Training Systems, one of Australia’s leading independent food safety consultancies, said he believes the outbreak may not have been caused by the food at all.

“The interesting thing in this case is that the guests were served different food at the different events,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

“So one thought is that it has nothing to do with the food.

“It could be that one of the employees is sick, asymptomatic and carrying a foodborne illness, and the other employees don’t realize it.”

Food safety specialist Gary Kennedy (pictured) argued that the food may not have been the cause of the outbreak, but that one of the employees may be carrying a non-symptomatic food-borne illness.

Mr Kennedy argued that such cases of food poisoning can sometimes result from unsuspected food items, and not always from infamous products such as meat.

‘Another possibility is that people automatically think it is the meat, but that may not be the case at all. For example, it could be the salad, the dressing or the wedding cake,” he said.

‘Because only 30 people out of 300 guests (at the wedding) got sick, if I were to do the research I would look at what those people ate to cause this.

“It makes sense that it was one ingredient or one little thing, given the small number of people who suffered food poisoning.”

Kennedy said if it was the food, the outbreak could be a case of salmonella or campylobacter (photo, The Park Melbourne)

If the outbreak was caused by the food, it most likely would have been the chicken, the food safety expert added.

TIPS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF GASTRO

Wash hands with soap and water:

• after using the toilet
• after changing a diaper
• after cleaning up the vomit
• before dinner
• before preparing food

Stay home for 48 hours after symptoms have disappeared

Source: Victoria Department of Health

A 3D rendering of gastroenteritis

‘If it is chicken, because that is a fairly notorious food product in terms of functions, then the food poisoning is most likely salmonella or campylobacter.

“It’s hard to tell if the chicken is undercooked, and when you cook beef you can tell when it’s done: it changes color and turns brown.”

Mr. Kennedy said he would be surprised if they did not find the cause of these outbreaks because so many people were getting sick and many of them were doctors.

“If you’ve gotten sick from this sort of thing you’ve normally been contacted by the Department of Health and gone through their statistics,” he added.

“They tried to find out if you ate the same food or shared meals to determine the cause.”

The expert recommended following basic hygiene rules such as keeping raw food away from ready-to-eat products and ensuring meat products are cooked properly to prevent outbreaks like this.

Bahaa Harb, site manager of The Park and River’s Edge, said it was investigating the cause of the “reported outbreak.”

“We are working closely with event guests and the municipality to determine the cause of the outbreak,” Mr Harb said.

A “precautionary deep clean” of the site was approved by Port Phillip Council, he added.

Victoria’s Department of Health confirmed it was involved in the investigation into the outbreak.