Kitty's restaurant was closed after the salmonellosis outbreak

Public Health Director Robert F. Bracey and Michael P. Gilleberto, Director of North Reading Town, and Michael P. Murphy, Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety, ordered the closure of the property. a restaurant in town.

The Kitty & # 39; s restaurant and lounge, located at 123 Main Street, was ordered not to reopen until further notice.

On July 3, the Department of Health received complaints from the Massachusetts Department. public health about a Salmonella outbreak that would have occurred at Kitty's Restaurant on June 23rd. Food suspected to be contaminated has been reduced to antipasto salad. The Ministry of Health conducted an initial investigation that night, working with restaurant owners to determine how food was contaminated. The survey included determining where the food came from, how the food was prepared, who prepared it, how it was served and to whom it was served.

25, the Board of Health recommended that the management of Kitty close the restaurant in order to completely clean and disinfect the building. The health department, in collaboration with the Division of Epidemiology and State Immunization, also provided information and advice to Kitty management to test 46 employees who may have worked during l & # 39; outbreak. All employees tested were to be licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health before returning to work.

The municipality continued its investigation and examined other complaints about the restaurant on July 9th. Kitty inspection & # 39; s.

The inspection revealed several problems of food safety and hygiene related to unhealthy conditions, cross-contamination and the abuse of time and temperature. It also stated that the restaurant had not complied with the initial orders of the Ministry of Health of 5 July and that several employees prohibited from work following the Salmonella incident from 23 to 25 June were working on-site and prepared food. These employees had not been allowed to return to work by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health or the North Reading Department of Health. In addition to antipasto salad, the restaurant's homemade vinaigrette has been identified as a potential source of contamination and is being tested.

In the interest of public health protection because of the risk of secondary outbreak, and in response to the failure of the establishment to comply with the orders of the North Health Service Reading, July 9, the institution was ordered to close its doors until further notice. The restaurant has been ordered to clean / disinfect its facilities and all remaining staff will have to be screened before being put back to work.

The North Reading Health Unit will continue to work closely with the managers and owners of the facility. as well as officials from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Massachusetts Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences.

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As a precaution, the Department of Health recommends to all anyone who has brought back leftover antipasto salad or homemade salad dressing, bought take-away antipasto or homemade salad or vinaigrette, or bought a house-wrapped salad dressing from this establishment after June 1st is advised not to consume the items. If you have a bottle of unopened house dressing in your home, you must contact the health department for it to be potentially tested. Again, this is a precautionary recommendation while the Ministry of Health is continuing its investigation.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the North Reading Health Unit at 978-357-5242. Salmonella: Marler Clark, the law firm specializing in food safety, is the country's leading law firm representing victims of salmonella outbreaks. Marler Clark's Salmonella avocados have represented thousands of Salmonella victims and other outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and have recovered more than $ 650 million for their clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the country to have a practice exclusively focused on foodborne illness litigation. Our Salmonella lawyers have taken legal action against salmonellosis caused by various foods such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, sausage, sprouts, cereals, peanut butter and foods. served in restaurants. The firm has filed lawsuits against Salmonella against companies such as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.

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