Charlie Breitrose
The Chicken & Rice Guys Food Truck, which operates at AthenaHealth in Watertown, has been shut down indefinitely due to an E. coli outbreak.
Due to an E. coli outbreak the food serving license for The Chicken & Rice Guys food truck has been suspended by the Watertown Health Department.
Ten people have been hospitalized and 15 have been sickened by E. coli which state officials say came from food from The Chicken & Rice Guys, according to a story in the Boston Globe.
Symptoms of an E. coli infection can be bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and dehydration. In the most serious cases it can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome which can shut down the kidneys and lead to death.
The Chicken & Rice Guys have three restaurants in Boston (including one in Allston), one in Medford and a commissary in Somerville and a fleet of food trucks. One food truck operates on Mondays at AthenaHealth in Watertown, according to Watertown Health Director Deborah Rosati.
On Thursday, the Watertown Health Department sent a letter to the owners of the Chicken & Rice Guys informing them that they cannot operate in Watertown.
“Due to the Department of Public Health investigation of the cluster of E. coli O157:H7 associated with your operation and the suspension of your commissary operations, acting under the authority of 105 CMR 590.014(B) your Permit to Operate a Mobile Food Vehicle with the Town of Watertown has been indefinitely suspended. You are prohibited from operating in Watertown until this Department has received confirmation from the DPH and Somerville that you are allowed to resume operations.”
E. coli outbreaks can start by a sick employee who touched food served by the restaurant, or one of the ingredients used to make the food was contaminated, according to the Globe’s report.
Kudos to the Health Department.