Cause of major outbreak discovered after factory worker accidentally poisoned 46 staff with packed lunch

A food poisoning outbreak that sickened nearly 50 people was caused by a bacteria in a homemade noodle dish, officials revealed. 

On October 21, 46 workers at NAFCO Wholesale Fish Distribution Facility in Maryland were sickened about three hours after eating lunch. 

When first responders arrived, they found workers sitting at picnic tables outside the plant, some slumped over with their heads down. 

At least 26 employees were taken to a local hospital with food poisoning symptoms, though all of them fully recovered.

This week, the Maryland Department of Health announced the workers were sickened by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria, a usually harmless bacteria that lives on skin.

Though it normally doesn’t cause illness, it can spread to food from unwashed hands. 

If that food isn’t thoroughly cooked or sits out for too long, it can cause bacteria to multiply and produce toxins responsible for food poisoning and serious infections like toxic shock syndrome.

The experts said the illnesses were caused by a traditional Filipino noodle dish called pancit, which one employee brought in for their coworkers to eat. It is comprised of rice noodles, mixed vegetables, chicken or pork, stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.

NAFCO told The Baltimore Banner this was an isolated incident and the meal was prepared at the worker’s home and not supplied by the company. It was also served outside and not inside the factory.

NAFCO, which is one of the largest seafood distributors in the mid-Atlantic region, said no consumers or outlets have been affected by the incident. 

A company representative said: ‘NAFCO maintains the highest standards of food safety and regularly undergoes rigorous inspections by health authorities. 

‘Its products continue to be safely produced and consumed by customers nationwide, and there are no issues related to its supply chain.’ 

They added: ‘It’s unfortunate because we are in the food business, but this happened in our parking lot.

‘If there’s a positive here, we have a huge food safety staff here and all of these contingencies.’

About one in three Americans carry S. aureus on their skin or in their noses. Though generally harmless, the bacteria can produce enterotoxins, harmful proteins that target the intestines.

In addition to infections like toxic shock syndrome, these enterotoxins can lead to rapid-onset food poisoning symptoms like violent vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.  

About 120,000 Americans are sickened by S. aureus every year, and 20,000 die. 

It’s unclear exactly what about the pancit caused the illnesses, though it’s possible the worker who made it didn’t properly wash their hands, improperly cooked the meat in the dish, or stored it at an unsafe temperature.

It’s also unclear if the dish was made with chicken or pork. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and pork should be cooked to 145 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the cut.

Many commenters on social media highlighted this is the reason they do not share food in the workplace and partake in potlucks. 

One Facebook user wrote: ‘And this is why I don’t do potluck anymore; I haven’t for years. 

‘You can’t trust the cleanliness, or lack thereof, of others, especially not after the trifling that came out about people during Covid. Animals on counters… People not bathing for days / weeks on end…’

Another commenter mused: ‘This [kind of thing] is rare really. Let’s be honest. 

‘That does not mean you should let your guard down but if you have your doubts about a dish or its source, trust your gut. (Pun intended).’