700 Airbus Employees Sick After Celebration

France’s health authority, the Régional Santé Agency (ARS), launched an investigation after several Airbus employees fell ill with food poisoning during a Christmas dinner on December 14th. More than 700 people are said to have developed clinical symptoms of nausea and diarrhea.

It is unclear what exactly was on the menu, or what the participants ate that resulted in the illness that lasted two days. Reports suggested hundreds of people fell ill, but Airbus told media fewer than 200 participants were affected.

Details of the incident

According to the BBC, the staff work for Airbus Atlantic, a subsidiary of the European aircraft manufacturer. After the feast, many attendees reportedly experienced symptoms of food poisoning. ARS has launched an investigation and Airbus said it is cooperating with the agency. “To identify and confirm the cause of the disease” According to him, the nightmare will never happen again. BBC.

Check it out: 5 reasons why the Airbus A320 family has been a huge success this year

ARS did not provide details about the recipe or the exact food that caused the staff member to become ill. However, according to guardian, the menu included foie gras, scallops, lobster, tornado, and more. For dessert, ice cream logs and chocolate mousse were reportedly served.

Some staff members speculated that the ingredient may have been Rocamadour cheese, which is made from goat’s milk. D.W.. “The investigation is ongoing,” a spokesperson said, as reported by the Guardian. A questionnaire was sent to all attendees to assist with the research.

Unprecedented symptoms

Describing the symptoms to a western French newspaper, one employee reportedly said: “I had colic and a headache. […] This has never happened before.” and that “It was worse than giving birth.”

Airbus told the BBC. “About 100.” Some of the staff fell ill, despite reports that as many as 700 staff members fell victim to food poisoning. On Friday, ARS reportedly announced that the sick people were showing symptoms. “Clinical symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea” Most people experience symptoms within 24 to 48 hours of ingesting the meal. Fortunately, no one was hospitalized due to their symptoms. Airbus said the incident appears to be isolated and the employee is recovering.

Read more: Big orders: Airbus celebrates record-breaking year

The gourmet dinner was reportedly attended by 2,600 people and was organized and served by Airbus’ restaurant in Montoire-de-Bretagne, in the Loire-Atlantique region of western France, according to the Guardian. It is written as follows.

According to reports, health authorities are investigating whether the food poisoning is caused by bacteria in the food or a highly contagious gastroenteritis virus.

“The first case was announced on Friday, but we do not yet know whether this is related to the Christmas meal or the church service the following day.” Airbus Group Representative FO Frederic David said. standard.

Analysis of food samples

Jean-Claude Iribarren, secretary of the Airbus Atlantic Factory Board, spoke to the Guardian about the food poisoning outbreak.

“Like every year, we organized a Christmas dinner for 2,600 people with a number of local suppliers. People are in a bit of a hurry for the cause. We are obliged to keep samples of all products served in the restaurant. . They are analyzed by ARS [health authorities]. The investigation will take several more days. ”

Photo: VanderWolf Images | Shutterstock

Airbus Atlantic says on its website that as of January 1, 2022, it had 13,000 employees across five countries and three continents. According to media information, that number has now reached 15,000.