Raw egg mayonnaise has been identified as the cause of a salmonella outbreak at Melbourne’s Langham Hotel which caused 130 people to become ill.
The mayonnaise was prepared onsite and included in chicken sandwiches served at a high tea on July 11 which left 16 diners in hospital.
A Department of Health investigation found the condiment contained the same strain of salmonella, which is a form of gastroenteritis, as the people who became unwell.
Victoria’s acting chief health officer Professor Michael Ackland said it was extremely likely the eggs were to blame.
“All foods made of raw eggs do carry a risk of transmission of salmonella,” Professor Ackland said.
“We must use uncracked eggs, they must be in clean packaging and people should ensure that their eggs are labelled with the details of the supplier, batch number and identification and the best before date on the carton.”
The Langham Hotel stopped making the raw egg mayonnaise following the salmonella outbreak.
Professor Ackland said he was confident the hotel’s food practices are up to standard.
“The Langham has got food practices which are probably second to none,” he said.
“It’s probably one of the safest places to eat in Melbourne.”
The Melbourne City Council is responsible for taking any further action against the hotel.
A spokesperson said it would review the findings of the department’s investigation before considering any consequences.
Langham managing director Ben Sington said they had not received the full results of the investigation and were unable to comment in detail.
“We can confirm that all our eggs are sourced from a reputable and certified supplier and stored in accordance with food safety guidelines,” he said.
“As a precautionary measure while investigations were underway, the hotel took immediate steps … to only use pasteurised eggs in all cooking processes except for hard boiled and made-to-order eggs at breakfast.”