Oh, the Irony! Department of Health Luncheon Causes Food Poisoning for Workers

When it comes to laws and regulations, one would assume that a government agency would follow the rules to a “T.” However, as we’ve learned with the U.S. Department of Labor’s recent lawsuit, even our most trusted agencies can let things slip through the cracks.

The New Mexico Department of Health recently had its own health scare after 70 of its employees contracted food poisoning following a catered holiday luncheon. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, “70 staff members claim to have experienced gastrointestinal issues following the catered event at the Harold Runnels Building attended by more than 200 employees.”

The health secretary issued an e-mail to the staff, following the event, saying it still hadn’t identified what specific food from the event had caused the outbreak. According to the e-mail, the department’s Epidemiology and Response Division “believes that there may have been cross-contamination of menu items served during the luncheon.” The secretary added that it “appears to have been caused by bacillus cereus or clostridium perfringens,” but the department was still awaiting lab results to be certain (at the time of this writing). These types of toxins can cause foodborne illness.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says clostridium perfringens is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the country, “Because cooking kills the bacteria, outbreaks usually occur after foods are prepared in large quantities and kept warm for a long period of time before serving.” After foods have sat out for too long, the bacillus cereus bacteria sets in, causing more illness.

“We will work to take appropriate steps to address food handling procedures with the caterer and prevent such problems in the future,” the secretary said. Coincidentally, the New Mexico Department of Health is responsible for investigating foodborne illness, and it won’t have to go far to gather all its information, either!