JESSUP, Md. — At a state complex, which houses seafood distributors in Jessup, including one, which sells items right out of its truck, customers show up on a regular basis.
“I usually come here, generally on Saturdays, every other Saturday,” said Tayiba Nyamenle, “I usually come here for fish.”
But on Monday, an outbreak of food poisoning drew paramedics as well as dozens of people reported symptoms considered to be non-life threatening.
The victims, all employees of NAFCO, a seafood distributor, consumed what the Howard County Health Department says appears to have been food prepared by an outside source for employees at the company.
In essence, they ordered out for lunch and got far more than they bargained for.
In a statement, the parent company, Stanley Pearlman Enterprises, says, “The food they consumed was not produced by NAFCO nor was this food distributed to the general public.”
At last count, 46 people grew ill from eating the food, but investigators now believe there may have been a handful of others who sought treatment elsewhere from urgent cares or local hospitals.
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The Maryland Department of Health is awaiting testing to confirm the source of the food poisoning, but believes it is an isolated incident that poses no risk to the community at large.
