Public health in York Region, Ontario is urging people to avoid eating two Asian spices after a poisoning at a restaurant in Markham killed a dozen people.
• Also Read: Ontario: Four people are in intensive care after eating at a restaurant
An investigation has also been started. The poisoning is believed to have been caused by food served last weekend at Delight Restaurant & BBQ on Castlemore Avenue.
On Wednesday evening, York Region Public Health advised that at this stage of the investigation, “there is a strong indication that the illness was caused by a spice product contaminated with aconite.”
The public health brand “Mr. Kudi Brand Kaempferia Galanga Powder, a spice used in Asian cooking, may be contaminated with aconite, and the spice “Radix Aconite Kusnejofi Powder” used for medicinal herbs should not be taken.
Delight Restaurant & BBQ finally got another checkup before reopening on Wednesday. York Region’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Barry Pax, speaking to the Toronto Star, said these were isolated cases caused by spice-contaminated chicken. The security of the establishment is not in question.
“Since it is a spice that can be a source of contamination, we see no reason to close this restaurant,” he said.
On Friday, Barry Pax is expected to receive lab test results.
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