Brunswick Stew poisons 300 worshipers during a barbecue of the congregation

Nearly 300 people were poisoned after eating stew during a religious event in North Carolina.

On November 1, hundreds of practitioners became ill after participating in a barbecue at the Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church in Concord, where they had dinner with food, including barbecue pork, Brunswick stew, and salad. of cabbage.

After hundreds of thousands of participants had symptoms of food poisoning, samples of dishes were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing. That's what the Cabarrus Health Alliance (CHA) department says, which serves Cabarrus County.

Brunswick Stew – a popular southern dish that typically includes meat with tomatoes, beans and vegetables – tested positive for Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens). None of the other foods have been tested positive for harmful bacteria.

A stock image of a Brunswick stew, the dish that poisoned nearly 300 worshipers. Getty Images

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C. perfringens is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the country, according to the CDC, and is found mainly in raw meat and poultry. C. perfringens thrives in oxygen-poor environments and can reproduce rapidly at temperatures between 43 ° C and 47 ° C (109 ° F-117 ° F). The virus causes about a million cases of foodborne illness each year.

It is usually hiding in large quantities of food kept warm for long periods. As such, products such as beef, poultry, meat juices and pre-cooked and dried foods are primarily responsible for the spread of the bacteria.

Once entered into the body, it produces a toxin in the intestines that can trigger symptoms such as diarrhea and stomach cramps, which manifest themselves six to 24 hours after the infection. The symptoms usually go away in a day.

C. perfringens can affect anyone, but young children and the elderly are the most exposed and may suffer from symptoms lasting up to two weeks. In rare severe cases, the disease can also cause dehydration.

To prevent the spread of C. perfringens, the CDC recommends that cooks ensure that food, especially poultry and beef, is cooked to the proper temperature and kept at 140 ° F or warmer, or at 40 ° C. F or colder. The leftovers must be refrigerated at 40 ° F or below within two hours of being prepared.

Large batches of food, such as stews and large pieces of meat, should be cut into smaller portions before being chilled. Food should be heated to at least 165 ° F (74 ° C) before serving again.

And if in doubt, throw some food, said the CDC. "Any food that has been left too long can be dangerous to eat, even if everything seems fine," says the website.

At the moment the incident was reported for the first time, Erin Shoe, CHA's chief operating officer, said in a statement: "We encourage everyone who has eaten at the barbeque. church on November 1, 2018 to throw away any food with which they could have carried away "All those who attended are encouraged to send their name and contact information to [email protected] to assist the ongoing investigation."

"We talked to people who ate there who are sick and we talked to people who ate there and who are not sick. We can not say with absolute certainty that barbecue food is the cause, but we think it is important to warn the community if there are any left, "she concluded.