Salmonella outbreak in Fukui City hospitalizes 23 people

A mass food poisoning outbreak involving Salmonella has occurred at the Kobe Cook World Buffet located in the Palio CITY shopping mall in Fukui City. Between August 2 and August 4, 76 people ranging in age from 1 to 70 reported symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Of these, 23 individuals required hospitalization.

Salmonella was detected in the stool of at least eight patients and four restaurant employees. As a result, the restaurant has been ordered to suspend operations for two days to undergo cleaning, disinfection, and improvements to hygiene management.

In response to the scale of the incident, Fukui Prefecture has issued its first food poisoning advisory since current standards were implemented in April 2023. The advisory is effective for two weeks until August 23. Officials noted that the number of food poisoning cases in Fukui Prefecture this year has already exceeded the total for 2023, with 13 cases and 231 patients reported as of August 10.