Official advice released as festival goers report food poisoning symptoms
Health officials have issued advice for festival goers and food vendors alike as reports of suspected food poisoning continue to emerge from a beloved UK event.
The Food Standards Agency estimates that every year, around 2.4 million people in Britain will be struck down with symptoms such as blurred vision, diarrhoea, and high temperature after contracting a foodborne illness.
Late last month, several people reportedly added to the statistic, claiming they felt ‘so poorly’ after eating food from a vendor at an Oxfordshire music festival.
The food stall was pitched up at Truck Festival; organisers said they were alerted that people had become unwell after its on-site medical team received ‘a number of attendees with similar symptoms’, as per the NME.
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In a statement to FOODbible, a spokesperson for Truck Festival said: "On Sunday morning, our on-site medical team received reports from a number of attendees with similar symptoms. Our Health and Safety team launched an immediate investigation and identified a third-party food vendor as the suspected source.
"That vendor was removed from operation within 90 minutes of the first report.
"We reported our findings to the local Environmental Health Officer the same day and are supporting their ongoing investigation into the cause. We share the disappointment and frustration of those whose weekend was affected.“
A spokesperson for Vale of White Horse District Council, told FOODbible: We have been made aware of a potential food poisoning outbreak at Truck Festival. Truck Festival reported the issue to us and said that a number of festival goers reported the food poisoning symptoms to the medical tent. From this, after some investigations, they were able to quickly identify a potential source and Truck Festival closed the stand.
"We are investigating the issue and are working with the food business, Truck Festival, UKHSA and the trader's own local registering authority."
FOODbible has contacted Event Mobile Catering Limited for comment.
Advice for festival goers and food truck operators
In light of the claims, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has issued advice to those attending music festivals across the UK this summer, either in a fan or vendor capacity.
Hannah Ward, a member of the CIEH who specialises in festival and mobile catering inspections, said in a notice: "While it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of this incident while investigations are ongoing, cases such as this highlight the critical importance of maintaining the highest standards of food hygiene and temperature control at festivals and other large-scale events.
"Food businesses operating at temporary events have the same legal responsibilities as any other food business, to place safe food on the market, however they must do so in variable and challenging conditions. Responsibilities include ensuring food is sourced from reputable suppliers, stored at the correct temperatures, and handled by appropriately trained staff.
She also claimed that some responsibility for foodborne illnesses falls on festival organisers, too.
"Event organisers have a responsibility to provide timely site facilities to vendors such as water supply, waste, power, and suitable camping facilities," she explained via the BBC.
"The delay of these facilities has a knock-on effect to the food business' safe operation and service delivery."
However, she made it clear that 'There is no suggestion that Truck Festival doesn’t adhere to any of these important procedures and processes'.
She also advised festival goers to practice good hygiene, including regularly washing their hands with soap and water before eating.
Ella Scott