Tag Archives: California Pizza Kitchen

New Food Safety Infosheet: Norovirus outbreak at California Pizza Kitchen linked to ill food handlers

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The newest food safety infosheet, a graphical one-page food safety-related story directed at food businesses, is now available (click here for download)
Food Safety Infosheet Highlights:

– Over 20 customers of a California pizza kitchen restaurant were ill with vomitting, diarrhea, cramps and nausea.

– Three food handlers also were part of the outbreak.

– Don’t handle food while ill; especially if you have symptoms like diarrhea (when tranmission is likely) or vomiting (as virus particles may be spread to hands, clothes and other surfaces).

Food safety infosheets are created on a regular basis and are posted in restaurants, retail stores, on farms and used in training throughout the world. If you have any infosheet topic requests, or photos, please contact Ben Chapman a tbenjamin_chapman@ncsu.edu.

You can follow food safety infosheets stories and barfblog on twitter @benjaminchapman and @barfblog.

Ill food handlers are bad for business and not an accident: California Pizza Kitchen edition

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In the June 2012 edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention noro dude, Aron Hall, called norovirus "the perfect human pathogen." Hall says with its low median infectious dose and environmental stability norovirus is built to be transferred.

And then there’s the spread: billions of particles can be shed in every gram of feces and vomit from an infected individual (even if not showing symptoms) and transferred well through fomites, food and water. Sort of a nightmare for a restaurant.

Last week a Walnut Creek California California Pizza Kitchen dealt with its own noro nightmare – over 20 patrons reported illnesses following graduation ceremonies and the restaurant was shut down. During the investigation Costa County health officials said that at least three food handlers were also ill.

According to regional manager Chris Hedges, the fallout was that California Pizza Kitchen was closed for 3 days as staff were retrained and a cleaning crew that specializes in norovirus was brought in.

The regional manager said the company was "very pro-active" about getting the restaurant open again.
He said business has been good since the restaurant reopened Saturday. The eatery was indeed half full at 2 p.m. Monday.

Hedges said some customers probably weren’t aware of the closure while others were happy about the reopening.

"It’s great to get the support of the community and our customers who realize that accidents sometimes happen," said Hedges.

Having sick staff handling food is more careless than accidental and can lead to further spread of illnesses; just ask Heston Blumenthal.
 

3 staff infected: pizza joint closed because of norovirus

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County environmental health officials have ordered the closing of a popular Walnut Creek pizza restaurant after test results confirmed that customers and restaurant staff have norovirus.

Contra Costa County Environmental Health Director Marilyn Underwood said the county ordered California Pizza Kitchen at Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek, closed at 5 p.m. Thursday after receiving lab resulting confirming norovirus.

County officials have linked the norovirus to a foodborne illness outbreak connected with salad served Thursday, June 7, at the California Pizza Kitchen at Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek.

County officials went to the restaurant Thursday evening and posted a notice closing the restaurant under the authority of state law. They asked the staff to close the restaurant. The staff quietly asked customers to leave, Underwood said.
The first batch of samples came back Thursday. Of five employees tested, three positive for norovirus, Underwood said. Of two customers tested, both were positive for norovirus.

Underwood said staffers have interviewed 11 people who ate salad at CPK June 7 and subsequently suffered gastrointestinal symptoms.

The county is looking for other people who ate at CPK that day or in subsequent days and may have suffered gastrointestinal symptoms. They are asked to call the Environmental Health Division of Contra Costa Health Services in Concord at (925) 692-2500.

The Environmental Health Division received complaints and visited the restaurant Tuesday. In their inspections and observations, they have suggested several improvements in food handling and hygiene for restaurant workers to make, Underwood said. California Pizza Kitchen staff have been cooperative, Underwood said.