School food poisoning investigation completed

by Nick Delgado

Guam - The Department of Public Health's Division of Environmental Health completed the investigation surrounding the food poisoning outbreak that occurred at five southern public schools in May. Division Administrator Tom Nadeau says they are compiling information gathered from sample testing and interviews conducted for a final report.

More than 200 students were sent to the hospital after eating the egg salad sandwiches served by Department of Education food service contractor King's Restaurant. While the Centers for Disease Control tested confirmed the food contained the staph virus, Nadeau says the biggest challenge is determining just how the food got contaminated. He does confirm the contamination was not a result from improper food handling.

Nadeau says they continue to monitor King's to determine what next steps they may take against the company. "That depends on the response we get from King's; we've been in communication with King's and we are seeking assurance and would like to know what they've done and plan to do to ensure this does not repeat itself. So depending on the response we get from King's and the action they plan on taking that would basically dictate what course of action will be taken if any regarding the incident," he explained.

He expects the final report to be done in a couple of weeks.