Food Poisoning at Zhongshan Road Breakfast Shop; Junior High Girl Hospitalized

[Staff Report / Reporter Chou Shih-chang, North District]

A suspected case of food poisoning broke out yesterday (the 1st) at a breakfast shop on Zhongshan Road in the North District. According to sources, a female student at a nearby junior high school fell ill after eating there and was taken to hospital by her family. She is now out of danger.

Members of the public report that the shop has not changed the oil on its griddle in a long time, and that the source of its meat is also unclear. A nearby business owner said, "Everybody knows about this kind of thing, nobody wants to say it." When this reporter visited the shop yesterday, the owner said, "That never happened."

It is understood that business at the shop has boomed since it was featured on a TV program in March, with morning queues often stretching into the arcade. Some nearby residents question whether hygiene at the shop has kept up with its greatly increased volume.

A nearby resident who asked not to be named said they had seen the shop stacking ingredients on the arcade floor. "With that many people, when would they have time to wash anything?" Consumer groups also urged the public to pay attention to hygiene when choosing a breakfast shop, and to see a doctor immediately if they feel unwell.

The health department said it would inspect the shop in the coming days. Borough chief Chang Chin-shui noted that this is not the first hygiene problem in the Zhongshan Road shopping area, and hoped the incident would lead to a full review.