A gourmet Christmas dinner for 2,600 workers at the French aerospace company Airbus Atlantic has made hundreds of employees sick.
Health authorities have launched an investigation to determine what led to a mass outbreak of gastroenteritis among a reported 700 employees.
The festive feast was organized and hosted by the company's own restaurant at its Montoir-de-Bretagne location in the Loire-Atlantique region in western France.
Delights on the menu included foie gras, scallops, lobster and tournedos, followed by desserts of ice cubes and hazelnut chocolate mousse for just €15 (£13) per person.
The affected workers showed “clinical signs of vomiting and/or diarrhea” after the seasonal dinner on December 14th. Most became ill within 24 to 48 hours of the meal.
Health officials said they had not yet identified the cause of the mass poisoning and were investigating whether it was caused by a bacteria in food or a highly contagious gastroenteritis virus.
“The investigation is ongoing,” a spokesman said, adding that the results should be available next week. A questionnaire was sent to everyone present at the meal.
An employee named Nolwenn told the Ouest-France newspaper: “I had colic and headaches like never before. It was worse than childbirth.”
Jean-Claude Iribarren, secretary of Airbus Atlantic's operations committee, told the newspaper the meal was prepared in the company's canteen. “Like every year, we organized a Christmas dinner for 2,600 people with many local suppliers,” he said.
“People were a bit hasty about the causes. We are required to retain samples of every product served in the restaurant. They are analyzed by the ARS [health authorities]. The investigation will take a few more days.”
An Airbus spokesman said no one was “seriously ill.” “The case is now being handled by the health authority, which is leading the investigation.”
Airbus Atlantic, a subsidiary of the world's largest aircraft manufacturer Airbus, employs 15,000 people in five countries.