December 17, 2010 - An outbreak of food-borne illness is being investigated which has caused 37 people to become ill after attending a dinner at the Slovak Legion, on Tuesday, December 14, 2010. No hospitalizations of those attending the dinner have been reported to the Health Unit.

The Health Unit became aware of the situation after being contacted by the organization which hosted the dinner. People participating in functions at the Slovak Legion that evening have been contacted by the Health Unit.

To eliminate potential health hazards to the public, all prepared foods from the kitchen made during this time have been destroyed under the supervision of a public health inspector. A suspect food has been identified but will need to be confirmed through laboratory results expected next week.

The Legion has been fined as a consequence of the outbreak. Legion staff have been cooperative in assisting the Health Unit investigate this outbreak. The kitchen has reopened for functions and is now exceeding provincial food safety standards by having a certified food handler on site to oversee food preparation.

"The public should know the Slovak Legion runs a very clean kitchen," says Christopher Beveridge, Manager of Environmental Health.

"We believe this was an isolated incident related to a particular food product. That food product has been removed and the kitchen is complying with provincial food safety standards. We will continue to monitor the Legion’s food safety practices."

The number one reason for food-borne illness at a facility or at home is improper cooling and heating of cooked foods. Please ensure food safety is a top priority in all your holiday meal preparations.

Please use this as a reminder to contact the Health Unit if you suspect you may have become ill from eating food.

For food safety information, call the TBDHU at 625-5930 or visit tbdhu.com/EH/foodsafety

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