70 staff members ill after Department of Health luncheon

Ironic story about a luncheon for (New Mexico?) State Department of Health employees.

Apparently 70 people got sick from the food.

It was an annual holiday event.

They think it was the catering company's fault for cross contamination !!

I wonder if the company got a ticket?


70 staff members ill after Department of Health luncheon

Epidemiologists at the state Department of Health are investigating their agency’s own annual holiday luncheon after dozens of employees reported falling ill after the party last week.

About 70 staff members claim to have experienced gastrointestinal issues following the catered event at the Harold Runnels Building attended by more than 200 employees, according to a spokesman.

Health Secretary Lynn Gallagher wrote in an email to staff Monday that investigators have not identified a specific food from the party that may have caused the outbreak.

A team from the department’s Epidemiology and Response Division “believes that there may have been cross-contamination of menu items served during the luncheon,” she wrote.

Pot calling the kettle back??? I'm a certified food safety manager, the health department does not actually cook any food at all they just dictate like dicks to people who do... glad everyone is OK

Because if you're going to sport sloppy food handling skills THIS was the group to do it for?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Can't help myself, I was a food Manager for many years and this is just hilarious.
Guessing there will be some mandated retraining?
Site inspections?

Best practices and the mandatory classes are always blown off as boring and dull. Guessing the resulting publicity will be exciting enough for them now? Glad it wasn't one of the more virulent types of food poisoning.

This is the best news I've read in ages! I also like the name of the building where the event took place (Harold Runnels Building)- seems fitting.

Honey, I think I caught something, I've got the 'runnels'!

Bet it was Tyler Durden.

Stay away from the clam chowder!

originally posted by: seattlerat
This is the best news I've read in ages! I also like the name of the building where the event took place (Harold Runnels Building)- seems fitting.

Honey, I think I caught something, I've got the 'runnels'!

LOL

Another irony.

Is there a 3rd?

a reply to: xuenchen

Your third irony.
Only 70 people out of 200 liked that particular dish. Who planned the menu???
That right there is pretty embarrassing!

Well if that's not the epitome of irony I don't know what is. 😂😂😂😂

a reply to: Caver78

can you get food poisoning from tofu?

a reply to: xuenchen

Clearly they must have eaten selections from the Michelle Obama approved school lunch menu.

It was a holiday luncheon.
Not a Christmas Party...
WTF is a holiday luncheon?
Nobody wants to go to a holiday luncheon.

If you have a Christmas party and people get sick, it used to be assumed they had too much fun.
Go to a holiday luncheon and get sick and it was all for nothing.
Who wants to sit around and eat little food off of little plates anyway?
Nobody.

They should have had two events.
A holiday luncheon for people who are offended by Christmas and parties, and a Christmas party for everybody who isn't.

I'll be at the Christmas party.

... and a correction to the article in the OP states the Environment Department manages food safety, not the Department of Heath.

originally posted by: paradoxious
... and a correction to the article in the OP states the Environment Department manages food safety, not the Department of Heath.

I'm sure they'll have this all figured out before Thanksgiving next year.

originally posted by: eluryh22
a reply to: xuenchen

Clearly they must have eaten selections from the Michelle Obama approved school lunch menu.

Must have been a pre-arranged experimental exercise.

And I thought "professional" wrestling was bad....

Way to go justifying your position!!

Lol.

Best way to alleviate nonsense is to ignore it.

a reply to: eluryh22

You don't even want to get me started on what "the mooch" did to school lunches!
Schools allocate and are reimbursed a pittance for food to begin with, for preschoolers it was something like $1.25 a day. One ounce of meat (or meat substitute such as TVP) a couple of ounces of fruit,vegetables and a carb.

The quality of produce was ridiculous so we were stuck using canned product. What some states did was beyond criminal in "technically" meeting the standard, but essentially serving garbage. While Corndogs very loosely meet the written standard they have no place in a menu rotation focused on actual Nutrition. Pizza only counts as a vegetable to meet the standard as well, in reality WTF???

Feeding kids junk, or just the bare minimum that technically meets the federal guidelines is akin to criminal.
Sorry I derailed but this is something I'm passionate about.....sigh.