Feb 2018
A village wedding lunch in Palghar: 75 ill, 42 hospitalised
About 600 guests ate at a wedding lunch in Makunsar, Palghar district, in February 2018. Seventy-five fell ill (13%) and 42 were hospitalised, none fatally. Investigators traced it to gaajar halwa made with khoa from an unauthorised vendor; the carrot mixture sat at room temperature for about 12 hours, handwashing was irregular and the food was cooked in a temporary open-air kitchen. The probable cause was staphylococcal toxin. What training changes: time and temperature control, trusted suppliers and handwashing are exactly what FoSTaC supervisors are taught to enforce. The study's own advice was to educate food handlers on hygiene and safe storage.
Read the original (Peer-reviewed outbreak report (PMC))