Australia has an egg problem: raw eggs in deep fried ice cream batter linked to Salmonella outbreak

It seems like every couple of weeks we post about an egg-linked Salmonella outbreak in Australia.

Here’s another one.images

A day after Chin Chin Chinese was fingered in an investigation into over 100 cases of salmonellosis, health authorities, according to 9News are looking at deep fried ice cream batter containing raw eggs as the source.

A table of egg-based Salmonella outbreaks is available here.

Eggs used in deep-fried ice cream batter have been blamed for a Queensland food poisoning outbreak that left 110 people violently ill.

Metro South Health officials confirmed last night tests conducted at Chin Chin Chinese Restaurant returned positive for salmonella and they believed the raw eggs were to blame, the Courier Mail reports.

Eight of the 15 people at Julie Holmes’ birthday dinner on Sunday night fell violently ill, with six hospitalised – two overnight – and four put on drips.

“I haven’t eaten for three days,” she said. “It’s just dreadful, the worst thing I’ve ever been through.”

Cheryl Broadhurst, who was part of the birthday group, said her family was still feeling the effects of the poisoning almost one week later.

Her 21-year-old daughter was rushed to Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital yesterday morning.

The popular family restaurant located in Springwood was slapped with a temporary closure by Logan City Council as victims continue to come forward, with cases almost doubling overnight.

So far, 110 people who dined at Chin Chin on Saturday and Sunday nights have reported falling ill.

A sign on the restaurant’s door yesterday read: “Closed for maintenance until further notice.”

Its Facebook page, which enjoyed mostly positive reviews, has been inundated with angry patrons who are threatening legal action.

You can check out the Facebook comments here.

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About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.