Hong Kong hotel removes seafood items from its restaurants amid food poisoning cases

Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel has removed certain seafood items, including raw oysters, from its restaurants’ menus after eight people reportedly fell ill after consuming them.

The luxury five-star hotel in Central said it was closely monitoring the situation and was working in full cooperation with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) in their investigation.

“Following the recent report regarding alleged food poisoning from contaminated seafood items, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong can confirm that these items are no longer being served in any restaurant at the hotel and the supply has been discontinued,” a hotel spokesman said.

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Monday that a total of eight people were affected in two epidemiologically linked food poisoning clusters at the hotel. Its field investigation indicated that the individuals might have contracted food poisoning from consuming raw food.

The individuals, in two separate groups, had dinner at the Clipper Lounge at the hotel on January 31 and February 2, respectively. Between 25 and 75 hours after their meals, they developed diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever.

The CHP said preliminary investigation findings revealed that the dishes they had in common included raw oysters, salmon sashimi, crab legs, and brown crab.

The hotel said it had contacted the affected guests to provide help.

“As ever, the comfort and safety of our guests and colleagues remain our utmost priority, and our rigorous health and safety protocols continue to be strictly enforced,” the hotel’s spokesman said.

The CHP said on Monday that the affected individuals were in a stable condition, while its joint investigation with the CFS was ongoing.

According to the Department of Health, Hong Kong had recorded a rising number of food poisoning cases associated with norovirus — from 29 in 2022, to 76 in 2023, and 87 in 2024.

The number dropped to 51 last year; however, 339 individuals were affected, compared with 291 in 2024, 270 in 2023, and 125 in 2022.

Norovirus infection typically caused acute gastroenteritis – or stomach flu – and was a “common cause of food poisoning,” a spokesman for the department said.

He added that the virus could also cause outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in places where people were staying close together, such as schools, elderly homes, hotels, play facilities, and cruise ships

The infection is more common during the winter months, usually from December to March. Most people recovered within a few days, the spokesman noted.