Caterer questioned over food poisoning
Caterer questioned over food poisoning
JAKARTA (JP): Police have questioned the owner of catering
firm Cita Rasa, Natalia, over a food poisoning outbreak on
Thursday at car assembly plant PT Pulogadung Pawitra Laksana on
Jl. Gaya Motor, Sunter, North Jakarta.
"Employees of the company have told the police that the
butter-fried shrimps provided by the catering firm tasted
strange.
"Therefore, we are temporarily focusing our investigation on
identifying whether the food was the cause of the incident,"
North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Supt. Wisjnu Achmad Sastro told
reporters on Saturday at his office.
Besides questioning Natalia, a resident of Kebon Kacang,
Central Jakarta, the police were also waiting for the results of
laboratory tests on the employees' vomit, many of whom were still
in hospital on Saturday afternoon.
"The samples have been handed over to the city police's
criminal laboratory to determine the cause of the incident,"
Wisjnu said.
The officer said the police were still thinking of the charges
to be applied to the catering firm owner if it is found that the
poisoning was a result of carelessness at her firm.
"We are still searching for the charges, since no employees
have died yet.
"If any of them die, the caterer will face a stiff sentence as
she will be charged with violating Article 359 of the Criminal
Code on carelessness leading to someone's death," he said.
The Article carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail.
Wisjnu said there were four catering firms which provided
lunch for the employees and the company's management.
The four are PT Mandiri, located on Jl. Cempaka Putih Barat;
PT Rasa Mala on Jl. R.A. Kartini and PT Cita Rasa on Jl. Kebon
Kacang, all in Central Jakarta; and PT Kusuma Naraya on Jl.
Wijaya Kusuma in Cakung, North Jakarta.
"PT Mandiri and PT Rasa Mala provide food for the management
of the company, while the employees were served by PT Cita Rasa
and PT Kusuma Naraya," he said.
He said Thursday's menu for both employees and management
comprised of rice, butter-fried shrimps, beef, mustard leaf soup
and crackers.
"PT Cita Rasa prepared the butter-fried shrimps, which are
believed to have been the source of the incident," he said.
Wisjnu said six employees were still being treated at
Sukamulya Hospital, 36 at Medika Griya Hospital and another 52 at
Sunter Agung Hospital, all in North Jakarta.
Nurse Lies at UKI hospital in East Jakarta said that on
Saturday afternoon the hospital was still treating 21 employees.
It is believed that there are many other employees being
treated at other hospitals.
However, the company management was not available for comment
on Saturday.
Some 186 employees of the company, which assembles Isuzu
Panther minivans, began complaining on Friday of nausea and
giddiness hours after they had finished lunch on Thursday. (asa)