More than 160 students experienced food poisoning symptoms after consuming chicken souvlaki at Canterbury University’s Uni Lodge Hall during exams in November 2024.
The University of Canterbury Students’ Association (UCSA) oversees meal preparation for 500 students in residence halls and also operates a facility in Edmonton, producing 6000 meals weekly for schools.
Food safety inspectors discovered that the association did not adhere to its food control plan, failing to record chicken temperatures at the appropriate times. The recorded temperatures were handwritten and completed retroactively.
Additionally, it was found that food was not maintained at proper temperatures, either hot or cooled, as required by the food plan.
Court documents indicate that UCSA chefs at Uni Lodge Hall batch-cooked approximately 50 kilograms of chicken on October 31, 2024. The chicken was divided into two portions: one was served that evening with a chicken and vegetable stir fry, while the other half was blast chilled and refrigerated.
Three days later, the pre-cooked chicken was prepared for a chicken souvlaki dinner. It was subjected to a rolling boil for three and a half hours, then placed into containers for buffet-style meal service.
That evening, 164 students dining at Uni Lodge Hall reported experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis, including diarrhea, stomach pain, low-grade fever, and vomiting.
Lab tests on samples from some students confirmed the presence of Clostridium perfringens bacteria, typically associated with food held at unsafe temperatures for extended periods.
A Health NZ survey indicated that 95 percent of the affected students had eaten chicken souvlaki before falling ill.
Epidemiological, laboratory, and environmental investigations identified the contaminated chicken souvlaki served on November 3, 2024, as the outbreak’s source. The contamination likely occurred between the initial cooking, blast cooling, and the rolling boil reheat, rendering the food unsafe.
The UCSA was issued a food control plan by Christchurch City Council, outlining the minimum requirements for food safety compliance. This includes recording temperatures when food is initially cooked and when it is cooled for refrigeration to ensure safety.
The investigation found that UCSA staff did not consistently maintain the correct hot holding and cooling procedures, nor did they fully adhere to staff training records.
During the chicken’s preparation period, temperature records were either incomplete or missing. In response to a food safety inspection, a UCSA staff member provided handwritten temperature records for November 1-3, which were determined to have been completed post-dating the required period.
Furthermore, there was no evidence of internal audits conducted by the UCSA in the previous 12 months, as mandated by the food control plan.
