Over 60 customers sue San Diego Mediterranean restaurant over salmonella outbreak
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Time and temperature are the most important factors to keep in mind when it comes to food safety.
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More than 60 people are suing a Mediterranean restaurant in San Diego for allegedly causing a recent salmonella outbreak.
The Aladdin Mediterranean Café voluntarily closed as San Diego County health officials investigated following accusations that multiple customers became ill with salmonella poisoning after eating "specific food items," according to the three lawsuits obtained by USA TODAY. The restaurant reopened on May 13, the court document says.
Ron Simon, a food safety attorney, told USA TODAY on May 21 that he and his firm represent 65 victims in the outbreak, including 10 who were hospitalized.
The suing customers said they went to Aladdin Mediterranean Café on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard between April 25 and May 1, the lawsuits allege. In a May 14 news release, Simon said two of the people he's representing ate hummus, chicken shawarma and beef shawarma wraps at the restaurant on April 26, and by the next day, "both had become ill with the with the symptoms of salmonellosis, including diarrhea, cramping, fever, chills, abdominal pain, and headaches."
According to the lawsuit, at least 89 people who said they dined at Aladdin Mediterranean Café on April 25 and May 1 have become ill with symptoms of salmonella poisoning. So far, up to a dozen of the reporting customers have been hospitalized, the court document says.
Aladdin Café says salmonella source could not be determined
In a statement shared May 12 on its Facebook, the restaurant acknowledged the closure and the health officials' investigation, but said the source of the outbreak could not be determined.
"We want to emphasize that our customers' health and safety is our number one priority," the statement reads. "In the past 32 years that we have been in business, we have always maintained an A grade from the health department. We take cleanliness very seriously and understand the responsibility that comes with preparing and serving food to our community."
USA TODAY contacted Aladdin Mediterranean Café on May 21 but has not received a response.
What did San Diego County health officials find at Aladdin Café?
According to the lawsuits, San Diego County health officials conducted thorough inspections at the then-closed Aladdin Mediterranean Café and collected food samples and interviewed staff members.
So far, the exact source of the contamination has yet to be identified, the lawsuit says.
Aladdin Café has accrued as many as seven health code violations for failing to properly control holding temperatures for its food in recent years, the lawsuit states.
At this moment, health officials urge anyone who dined at Aladdin Café between April 25 and May 1 and is experiencing salmonellosis to seek medical attention immediately.
"We intend to use all the tools available to us in this litigation to get full and fair compensation for all of our clients, to find out how this outbreak happened, and to make sure that Aladdin keeps it from happening again," Simon said in a statement.
This litigation does not accuse the Aladdin Hillcrest on Vermont Street of wrongdoing, as a different owner operates it.
What are the symptoms of salmonella poisoning?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of salmonella infection include:
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