Jim Hammerand of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports that Health officials have identified dinner rolls as the food that likely sickened Old Country Buffet diners in Maple Grove earlier this year.
The rolls were likely cross-contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis from raw chicken used in the restaurant, Minnesota Department of Health spokesman Doug Schultz said.
The health agency’s joint investigation with Hennepin County found 36 people who were likely sickened by the bacteria after eating at the restaurant between Jan. 11 and Feb. 11. Most of the diners who fell ill ate there Jan. 25.
At least one person was hospitalized.
“Most outbreaks are preventable: They occur] because a food worker came in ill, or because of cross-contamination. … It’s just a question of what steps should have been taken,” Schultz said. “Contamination doesn’t just happen.”