Tuna from Sydney cafe poisons seven

Seven customers who ate tuna at a Sydney cafe have suffered suspected scombroid fish poisoning, NSW Health says.

tuna

(AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Seven people have suffered food poisoning after eating tuna at a Sydney CBD cafe.

Health authorities recalled a tinned product containing imported tuna from Thailand on Thursday after four customers showed symptoms of potentially fatal scombroid poisoning.

Another three people have since reported to health authorities that they'd come down with food poisoning after eating seafood from Soul Origin cafe near Town Hall station.

"All seven ate at the same food outlet," NSW Health said in a statement.

The NSW Food Authority recalled John Bull Tuna Chunky Style in Sunflower Oil following an investigation into the cafe.

The tuna, which is imported from Thailand by a Victorian company, is mostly used in catering and is not generally available to the public.

"Scombroid poisoning has a rapid onset period of between a few minutes and a few hours, after consumption of contaminated fish," said Dr Jeremy McAnulty, NSW Health, Director of Health Protection.

Symptoms include tingling around the lips, flushing of the face, headache, nausea, sweating, vomiting and diarrhoea.

People typically recover after a few hours.

Incorrect temperature at the catching or processing stage could have been behind the poisoning of the tuna, a Food Authority spokeswoman said on Thursday.

Scombroid was linked to the death last year of Queensland mother and daughter Noelene and Yvana Bischoff, just hours after they ate contaminated fish at a restaurant in Bali.

The Sydney cafe episode follows a Hepatitis A scare involving frozen berries imported from China.

Twenty-one people have so far been diagnosed with Hepatitis A linked to the berries, a week after a nationwide recall was issued for a range of products.

AUSVEG chief executive Richard Mulcahy said on Thursday more tuna products sold in Australia should be sourced locally.


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Source: AAP


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