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Toxic tuna from Sydney cafe poisons four customers

A tinned tuna product mainly used by caterers has been recalled after four people suffered potentially fatal food poisoning from a Sydney CBD cafe.

John Bull Tuna Chunky Style in Sunflower Oil was recalled by the NSW Food Authority following an investigation into the cafe, Soul Origin.

The tuna, which is imported from Thailand by a Victorian company, is mostly used as a catering product and isn't generally available to the public.


Four customers, including Simone Du Toit, developed symptoms of Scombroid poisoning after eating a tuna salad from the cafe on Monday.

Ms Du Toit suffered an allergic reaction, developing a rash and nausea.

"When I found out what the severity of it was, it was pretty scary to have happened here," She told Seven News.

The 32-year-old sought immediate medical attention, rushing to her local doctor.

She quickly learned three others had also fallen ill after eating in the same cafe.

"They monitored me, gave me steroid medication and after an hour or two the symptoms had subsided," she said.

The cafe, which insists it meets the highest hygiene standards and has been cleared of blame in the latest case, says it has changed its brand of tuna since the customers fell ill.

So far, the four incidents appear to be isolated.

The NSW Food Authority says the incorrect temperature at the storing or processing stage when the fish was caught could have caused the tuna to become toxic.

Scombroid caused the deaths of Queensland mother and daughter Noelene and Yvana Bishoff in Bali last year. Photo: ABC file
Scombroid caused the deaths of Queensland mother and daughter Noelene and Yvana Bishoff in Bali last year. Photo: ABC file

Scombroid was linked to the death last year of Queensland mother and daughter Noelene and Yvana Bischoff, just hours after they ate contaminated fish at a restaurant in Bali.

The Sydney cafe episode follows a hepatitis A scare involving frozen berries imported from China.

Eighteen people have so far been diagnosed with hepatitis A linked to the berries, a week after a nationwide recall was issued for a range of products.

AUSVEG chief executive Richard Mulcahy said more tuna products sold in Australia should be sourced locally.

"We've got a big tuna industry in South Australia," he told Fairfax Radio.

"Possibly some of these manufacturers who haven't been very supportive of what we're doing are just looking at the bottom line and saying `well, we can buy it from Asia. It's cheaper'."


SCOMBROID POISONING: FACTS AND SYMPTOMS:


  • also known as histamine poisoning, Scombroid is a type of food poisoning caused by high levels of histamine in fish which can occur if it isn't chilled properly


  • freezing or cooking contaminated fish won't kill the toxin


  • usually occurs in tuna, sardines, mackerel and swordfish


  • treated with antihistamines


  • extremely rare - of 57 people affected in Australia between January 2009 and December 2013, only nine were hospitalised and no deaths were reported


  • Scombroid was linked to the death last year of Queensland mother and daughter Noelene and Yvana Bischoff who ate contaminated fish at a restaurant in Bali.

SYMPTOMS


  • tingling or burning in the mouth, rash on the upper body, drop in blood pressure, headaches and itching


  • may progress to nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea requiring hospitalisation, particularly for elderly patients


  • usually occur within 30 minutes after eating poisoned fish and can last from three hours to several days.

(Sources: Federal Department of Health, Food Standards Australia New Zealand and NSW Food Authority, Food Safety Information Council).