Employees at a KFC fast food restaurant became ill after eating food that had been contaminated by rats and had to be hospitalized. The case took place at the KFC unit in Maceió Shopping, in the capital of Alagoas.
The workers said they had to go to the hospital after eating bread that had been gnawed by rats inside the cafeteria. The problem happened between last Friday, the 12th, and Saturday, the 13th. One of the employees was hospitalized for three days. The store was closed on Friday night, and as of this Wednesday, the 17th, it had not yet been reopened.
The Public Ministry of Labor (MPT) of Alagoas received a complaint and is investigating the case. Maceió Health Surveillance was also called to inspect the unit. Terra contacted KFC Brasil’s press office, but has not received a response so far.
Lawyer Frederico Félix Barbosa, who represents the workers, said, in an interview with local news website Cada Minuto, that eight employees were hospitalized with nausea, vomiting and weakness. When carrying out tests, it was found that they had eaten food contaminated by rat feces and salmonella from the chicken, according to the lawyer. He also highlighted that the foods in question would be the same as those served to customers.
KFC management would have been informed by employees about the dirt and expiration date of the food, but no measures would have been taken before the employees were admitted, according to Félix.
MPT and Health Surveillance investigate the case
To Terra, the MPT of Alagoas informed that the complaint was received on January 15th regarding labor irregularities/illegalities related to the company’s working environment and which would have affected the health and safety of hired employees.
“The following day, a public civil inquiry was opened to investigate the reported facts. As part of the procedure, MPT/AL initially gave the company a period of 10 days to express its defense of the complaint, presenting documentation supporting the information provided. Subsequently, new administrative and judicial measures can be adopted according to the needs of the case and the role of the Public Ministry of Labor”, says the MPT.
When contacted, Maceió Health Surveillance (Visa) reported having received the complaint on January 13, and was informed of suspected leptospirosis among the cafeteria’s employees.
“On Tuesday (16), Wednesday (17) and Thursday (18), Visa inspectors went to the establishment, which was closed due to renovations, so they did not have access to the interior to investigate the situation of the enterprise. ”, says the agency.
“The role of Health Surveillance is to provide educational guidance to employees and owners of establishments so that they comply with health standards, in order to guarantee the health of consumers. Therefore, in this case, it is Visa’s responsibility, during inspections, to evaluate the hygiene of the establishment, the physical structure, health permit, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and, above all, check whether the food products are within the expiration date, in addition to also observing whether the establishment has a pest control certificate”, explained Visa.
KFC Brasil was contacted, and the space remains open for the company to comment on the case.
Source: TERRA