The proprietor of the Miranda bakery blamed for more than 150 cases of food poisoning has apologised to customers and asked the business not be judged by the strength of “this one incident”.
By the end of last week, a total of 151 people had sought hospital treatment after eating pork and chicken rolls from Box Village Bakery.
A total of 144 people sought treatment at Sutherland Hospital, 23 were admitted and 15 remained in hospital.
Another seven people sought treatment at St George Hospital, and four were admitted.
Among those affected by Salmonella poisoning was a pregnant woman, who was forced to undergo an emergency caesarean section after she became violently ill.
Ashley Bucahanan, a first-time mother, gave birth to a daughter, Ava, in Wollongong Hospital five weeks before her due date.
Ms Buchanan’s husband Kane also became ill and was admitted to the same hospital.
"It was all quite frightening, because my blood pressure went right down; they had to rush me to ICU straight after the delivery," Ms Buchanan told radio 2UE.
The proprietor of Box Village Bakery, who asked his name not be published, said he didn’t know what caused the food poisoning, but suggested a blackout might have affected the cool room after they had left for the night.
He said it could be “a month or a month and a half” before the NSW Food Authority allowed the bakery to re-open.
The proprietor said it was the third shop he had operated in Sutherland Shire since 1991.
He posted a hand-written note of apology on the shop window, and later asked the Leader to print a letter:
While we understand the animosity experienced by some customers, we hope that we are not judged by the strength of this one incident.
- Bakery owners
“Dear Valued Customers,
“We sincerely and humbly apologise for the events that have taken place over the last few days, in particular, we express our deepest sympathies to those who became ill.
“We stress that this is an isolated incident, and one, which has not occurred during the past 12 years in which this bakery has been in operation.
“We are currently cooperating with the NSW Food Authority to rectify the issue and ensure that this problem does not arise again in the future.
“In the meantime, while we understand the animosity experienced by some customers, we hope that we are not judged by the strength of this one incident and assure you that we can be trusted as your bakery in the future.”
The hand-written note, posted on the shop window earlier in the week, read: “Dear Customer. We are realy (sic) sorry about what happen. We hope everyone get well soon. We are sorry again.”
