46 People Hospitalized in Maryland Due to Food Poisoning from Employee’s Homemade Meal

A recent food poisoning outbreak in Maryland has resulted in the hospitalization of 46 people after they consumed a homemade meal prepared by an employee. The incident occurred at NAFCO Wholesale Seafood Distributors in Jessup, Maryland, approximately 15 miles southwest of Baltimore.

According to reports, the workers became ill roughly an hour after eating a noodle dish brought and shared by the employee. The Howard County Fire & Rescue responded to the incident on Monday at 3:45 p.m. and evaluated the patients, who were then taken to different area hospitals with noncritical health conditions.

NAFCO Wholesale Seafood Distributors and its parent company, Stanley Pearlman Enterprises, have stated that the food causing the illness did not come from the facility. They emphasized that NAFCO operates under the highest health and safety standards in the industry and is regularly inspected by health authorities.

The Howard County Health Department, in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Health, is investigating the exact cause of the incident. Preliminary indications suggest that the illness was related to the outside food prepared by the employee and shared with others at the facility. At this time, there is no indication of further risk to the larger community, and all 46 hospitalized individuals have been released.

The Maryland Health Department has also confirmed that they are not currently aware of any risk of further illnesses connected to this incident.