Five people have been indicted over a food poisoning case at a Malaysian restaurant chain in Taiwan that left six diners dead.
The fatal incident took place at Polam Kopitiam’s Xinyi branch in Taipei in March 2024, with at least 33 others reporting that they also fell sick.
Bongkrekic acid – a rare and deadly toxin – was found in all the victims who had consumed flat rice noodles, which were improperly stored.
Deputy chief prosecutor Kao I-shu at the Taipei District Prosecutors Office said the restaurant’s owner, branch manager, two chefs and a restaurant intern were indicted for negligent homicide, negligent injury and violation of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, reported Focus Taiwan.
Mr Kao said the two chefs – surnamed Chou and Ho – and the intern had stored open packages of flat rice noodles at room temperature, despite knowing that the noodles must be stored at a low temperature.
Mr Kao was quoted as saying that the three individuals had “carelessly placed” opened packages of flat rice noodles in a storage basket on the lower shelf of a kitchen table from an unspecified date in March until March 24.
They then continued to serve the improperly stored noodles to customers.
Ho had also reportedly failed to follow basic food safety practices. Mr Kao said the chef did not prevent cross-contamination as he had used the same plastic bag as a glove when handling noodles opened at different times. Ho had also mixed noodles from different packages, reported Focus Taiwan.
Meanwhile, bongkeric acid was produced due to the hot and humid conditions at the restaurant, which allowed a bacterium known as Burkholderia gladioli to grow.
Mr Kao said the Far Eastern Xinyi A13 Department Store, where the restaurant was located, turns off its air-conditioning system after business hours. After Ho, Chou and the intern washed the kitchen floors at the end of their night shifts, wastewater flowed into the drainage system near the storage basket.
This, coupled with the mishandling of flat rice noodles, led to the bongrekic acid contamination of the flat rice noodles sold between March 19 and 24.
Mr Kao said the prosecutors office is seeking a fixed-term imprisonment of no less than four years and two months for Ho and no less than four years for the restaurant owner – surnamed Li.
Mr Kao said Li failed to set and enforce a food safety management system at the restaurant, attempted to shift blame after the incident and showed no remorse, reported Focus Taiwan.
The prosecutor’s office is also recommending “an appropriate sentence” for the branch manager – surnamed Wang – and the intern.
“A heavier penalty” has been suggested for Chou, Mr Kao was quoted as saying, without elaborating.
For negligently causing the death of another, those found guilty can be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years, short-term imprisonment, or a fine of no more than NT$500,000 (S$20,700).
The first death in the case was a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on March 22 and died two days later.
Another customer was a 40-year-old woman who had eaten at the restaurant in mid-March and was in the intensive care unit for more than a month before dying of multiple organ failure on April 29.
They were believed to have eaten char kway teow – a stir-fried noodle dish – among other dishes at the restaurant.
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