Listeria found in 13 foods at restaurant coco & carmen
Several foods at the luxury restaurant Coco & Carmen in Stockholm tested positive for listeria after an outbreak infecting 15 people. Truffle mix, semifreddo espresso, and wild boar consommé showed the highest levels, over 30 times the limit. The restaurant is sanitizing and reopening on October 11.
A listeria outbreak at the Coco & Carmen restaurant in Stockholm has led to 15 confirmed infections, with bacteria in the blood, after visits in late September. Over 150 people have sought care in Region Stockholm, and the incubation period can be up to three weeks.
Initial test results show 13 foods positive for listeria, including truffle mix, semifreddo espresso, and wild boar consommé, which had more than 30 times higher levels than allowed in Sweden. The semifreddo contained over 3,000 bacteria per gram. Listeria was also found on surfaces like a cutting board, shrimp and fish benches, and a floor drain.
The environmental department notes: "None of the ingredients in the two cold dishes have historically been linked to a risk of listeria. The consommé is cooked, which minimizes risk through killing bacteria. Our investigation has not been able to determine the cause of the company's listeria growth in its premises or why the levels in three samples are higher. The investigation is ongoing and more analysis results are expected."
Listeria professor Jörgen Johansson comments: "Say you eat 50 grams and it's 3,000. Then you've ingested 150,000 bacteria. It sounds a lot, but it's actually not if you don't have a weakened immune system." He adds that the levels were not dramatic and speculates that the bacterium may have become more aggressive.
The restaurant closed after the outbreak and sanitized with aerosol hydrogen peroxide, discarded all foods from September 30, and bought new cutting boards. Owner Joakim Almquist says: "I've thrown away every damn food item that was in this place. Everything is in the trash. Every little spice."
Follow-up samples on October 6 showed no traces of listeria, and the environmental department deems the measures sufficient. The investigation continues in collaboration with the Food Agency and Public Health Agency to determine the cause of spread and type the strain. Kajsa Eriksson, unit manager for food control, says: "We are puzzled."