A view of the Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour. (Credit: The school's Facebook account)
Following a dinner at a scout campsite, 157 of the 820 scouts and guides from the Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour experienced vomiting. They include “32 boys and girls who had to go to emergency care,” the scout group said in a statement on Monday.
The parents are still waiting for the school’s management to provide answers about the reasons behind the food poisoning. “After my son vomited, and in the absence of any information, I had to contact a pediatrician, who reassured me that there was no need for any special treatment,” said a mother on Wednesday. She added that several children were still ill.
The school’s management said in a statement on Monday that “an investigation is underway to determine the reasons for this unfortunate food poisoning.” Two days later, it informed the parents that it “took the necessary measures in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, which conducted a thorough investigation,” and asked for their consent to take part in it.
However, Joyce Haddad, director of Preventive Health Care at the Ministry of Public Health, told L’Orient-Le Jour on Thursday that the investigation was opened on Tuesday morning “following press reports.” She added that “the investigators visited the hospitalized patients and took samples on Tuesday and Wednesday from two caterers in charge of the food that day.”
These two caterers have their activities suspended pending the lab results, which “need at least 72 hours,” to be issued, and the ministry is expected to issue a statement at the beginning of next week, added Haddad.
Although several caterers prepared the meals, only Purple Onion was mentioned in the school’s statement. The Jamhour scout group said in its statement that a preliminary diagnosis “revealed the presence of toxins in the evening meal.”
The group added that “according to many doctors consulted, any diagnosis based on positive blood tests or stool cultures does not clinically explain the episode encountered,” and that “breakfast and lunch were provided by two other caterers.”
On Monday, the Al Diyar newspaper reported, “a preliminary investigation said that Purple Onion was responsible for supplying the food” that led to the food poisoning.
“Why were the other meals not mentioned? Why not mention the names of the other caterers?” asked Naji Stephan, director of Purple Onion, on Thursday. He presented to L’Orient-Le Jour the invoices from all his suppliers, a video featuring the kitchen where the dinner consisting of chicken rice and salad was prepared, a visit from the ministry to the site and a photo of the refrigerated lorry in which the dinner was transported to the campsite.
“The accusations made against me have destroyed me, but I must remain silent pending the investigation’s results,” he said, adding that he had organized all the meals for the scout camp last year and received a thank-you letter for his services.
L’Orient-Le Jour was able to identify and contact Not a Sandwich, the caterer who was in charge of preparing lunch. “We delivered 920 pesto-halloumi sandwiches and 920 chicken sandwiches on Saturday at 11 a.m., for the lunchtime meal,” said Jonas, the manager, who added that the ministry indeed made a visit and that he delivered the food in a refrigerated truck.
While Haddad stressed that she cannot give details until the lab results are in, she added that the food poisoning “may also be due to poor management after the meals were delivered.”
The scout group noted in its statement that it had followed “a rigorous process” in handling the distribution of the meal, “per the caterer’s instructions.”
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translated by Joelle El Khoury.