Bakery Salmonella Outbreak in China Sickens More Than 130, Mostly Children, Sparks Censorship
Udumbara
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More than 130 people, mostly children, were hospitalized in China’s southwestern Guizhou Province after eating sandwiches from a local bakery chain, in what officials have confirmed as a mass outbreak of salmonella poisoning.
Outbreak Linked to Popular Bakery
The outbreak began in Xishui County after residents purchased sandwiches from Milk Baking, a well-known cake shop brand with multiple stores in the area. Chinese state media People’s Daily cited a Sept. 21 statement from the Zunyi Food and Drug Safety Commission, saying that three separate batches of the bakery’s sandwiches were sold between Sept. 15 and 17 across eight stores. A total of 187 people are believed to have eaten the products.By Sept. 21, 136 people had been admitted to hospitals for treatment, including 89 school-age minors and 10 preschoolers. Patients suffered from fever, stomach pain, vomiting, and severe diarrhea, according to People’s Daily. Health officials later confirmed the illnesses were caused by salmonella-contaminated sandwiches.
Children Severely Affected
Parents described frightening symptoms that struck within hours of their children eating the sandwiches.On Sept. 21, a parent who asked not to reveal his name told a reporter from the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times, “My daughter is in her final year of kindergarten. Her mother bought her a sandwich from Milk Baking. After eating it, she started vomiting and having diarrhea, and she still hasn’t recovered.”
“Now the county hospital is full of children,” he said. “Some have even been transferred to hospitals in Chongqing and Zunyi. Everyone is very angry.”
The resident believed the problem lay with a batch of sandwiches produced on Sept. 13, which were sold on Sept. 14 and 15. He also alleged that local authorities were trying to cover up the incident.
“Videos posted by people in Xishui were blocked. Only some parents in Chongqing and Zunyi are still managing to post videos,” he said.
He added that Milk Baking is an established local bakery with seven or eight branches in the county, and that the brand operates its own processing plant.
Another resident told The Epoch Times that many who ate sandwiches from the Milk Baking bakery ended up in the hospital. In one family, both children were hospitalized, and the parents’ videos about the case were deleted online.
He added that all Milk Baking branches in Xishui County have now been shut down. He suspected the problem came from contaminated raw ingredients. The resident said he was especially fearful because his own child, who boards at school, often ate sandwiches from the bakery.
“I just hope this incident will be taken seriously,” he said.
Other families reported similarly severe cases.
The incident has shaken public confidence in local food safety, residents said, who called for greater oversight and transparency.
