Employees Did Not Adhere to Hygiene Standards: Details

In Yerevan, the second case of food poisoning has been recorded in the past week. This time, the incident occurred at one of the children’s development centers, where reports suggest chicken meat was found in the children’s porridge.

ArmDaily.am contacted the spokesperson of the Food Safety Inspection Body, Anush Harutyunyan, to clarify whether it is dangerous to consume chicken meat during these days. Harutyunyan first informed that the presence of chicken in the children’s porridge has not yet been confirmed. “The porridge has been sent for laboratory examination, and it remains unclear whether it contained chicken or not,” said Harutyunyan, adding that this case is still under investigation, so it is premature to draw conclusions.

Addressing the “Tashir Pizza” food chain, she noted that blaming only the food for the poisoning is incorrect. According to the findings from the Food Safety Inspection Body, it has been established that the bacteria causing illness were also present among the employees. “We have identified the source of the poisoning, we have followed the leads and found companies that import chicken and mayonnaise. From there, we have sent samples for laboratory testing and are awaiting the conclusions, but it is not possible to attribute the cause of the poisoning solely to the food; the employees simply did not adhere to hygiene standards. If 9 employees have staphylococcus, it means that, for example, they went to the restroom and did not wash their hands, what more can I say,” she stated.

The Food Safety Inspection Body has suspended the operations of the “Tashir Pizza” branches at Khanzhyan and Northern Avenue, and the agency may decide on their reopening. As Anush Harutyunyan asserts, the branches will remain closed until everything is clarified.

The director of the “Tashir Pizza” food chain will hold a press conference shortly, during which he will address the recent incidents and announce when the branches of the food chain will reopen. This was reported to the media by the marketing department of the food chain.