Compensation for Victims of Salmonella Outbreak

A Chinese restaurant in the Midlands has settled compensation claims totalling £45,000 brought by seven customers who suffered salmonella poisoning after eating a tiramisu dessert made with raw eggs contaminated with the bacterium.

In all, 46 people went down with food poisoning after eating at the Wing Wah restaurant in Oldbury. Amongst the victims were an 80-year-old man, who was in hospital for 12 days, and a baby under two years old. A total of 154 working days were lost by those affected and one man was off work for five weeks and lost a stone in weight.

The symptoms of salmonella poisoning can be severe and include vomiting, headaches, stomach cramps and fever. In total, six customers were hospitalised after the outbreak.

Prior to the outbreak, the restaurant, which is now under new ownership, had a good health and safety record and had recently received a good hygiene award. In court, the prosecution said that Kwai Lun Chiu, a director of the restaurant who had studied catering, should have been aware of the danger of serving dishes containing raw eggs. The company that owned the restaurant admitted selling food that was unfit for human consumption and was ordered to pay almost £20,000 in fines and fees. Mr Chiu was given a 12-month Community Order and ordered to carry out 100 hours’ community service.

The remaining claims are being dealt with by the restaurant’s insurance company.