Horror at a Welsh kebab shop has seen “contaminated food” leaving 11 people in hospital and 50 ill.
Sami Abdullah and Hassan Saritag admitted criminal offenses after they were responsible for a food poisoning outbreak at their kebab shop.
Abergavenny's Marmaris Kebab House put unsafe food on the market, failed to put in place food safety procedures and failed to register new owners at the business, Newport Magistrates Court heard, with takeaway boss Abdullah and his assistant Saritag pleading guilty to the charges.
The outbreak took place in February 2023 when more than 50 people became unwell and 11 victims were hospitalized after eating “contaminated food” from the Cross Street joint according to a Monmouthshire council spokesperson.
He added that a “wide-ranging” investigation by council officers was able to “positively link” the infections to Marmaris after expert advice from Public Health Wales.
At the time of the outbreak, Public Health Wales said it was aware of “an increase in cases of gastrointestinal illness” in Abergavenny which were believed to be caused by the shigella infection.
The health agency described shigella as an intestinal infection adding: “It is not life-threatening, although in some cases it may result in hospitalization, but symptoms usually clear up within four to five days.”
The council spokesperson added: “Further offenses for failing to register new owners at the business and failing to maintain a suitable food safety management system also resulted in guilty pleas. The business is now under new ownership.”
Saritag, 38, of Cross Street in Abergavenny, and Abdullah, 46, of Richmond Road in Cwmbran, were told off by district judge Sophie Toms for speaking in the dock during their court appearance, but it then emerged Saritag had been translating so his fellow Defendant could understand what was being said in court.
The case was adjourned to September and a note was made for a Kurdish interpreter to be booked.
Shortly after the outbreak, one person told Wales Online their family and friends had been through a “horrendous illness” after contracting Shigella following a visit to the takeaway on Friday, February 10 last year.
The person, who did not wish to be named, said: “My relatives became incredibly sick on the following Sunday and Monday with symptoms persisting through to mid-week for one and late week for the other.
“Symptoms included some vomiting, fevers, terrible stomach cramps and blood in their diarrhea.”