On Nov. 12, 150 guests dined at a catered event associated with a wedding in Colbert County, AL. At least 99 of those Alabama wedding guests later became sickened and 22 ended up being hospitalized.
In a statement posted Monday, the Alabama Department of Public Health stated that all patients are recovering from the foodborne illness. Symptoms have included “vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and some fever.”
Department officials also said they’ve determined that the Colbert County illnesses stem from a Salmonella outbreak, likely from food served at the catered event.
State health department officials say the investigation is ongoing, but preliminary reports from the state laboratory suggest the cause was Salmonella enteriditis in food specimens of cooked chicken, as well as green beans, both served at a wedding reception in Sheffield, AL, on Nov. 12.
On Monday, Dr. Karen Landers said that “chicken was likely the primary source of the germ” since raw chicken can be contaminated with Salmonella, a common source of foodborne illness.
Landers went on to say that finding Salmonella in the green beans was probably the result of cross-contamination and could have occurred from using the same serving utensils for the beans and the chicken.
The department has suspended the caterer’s permit because of the outbreak. Officials did not immediately release either the caterer’s name nor that of the wedding party, although it was reported to be Indelible Catering of Moulton, AL.
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