According to health authorities, more than 700 Airbus Atlantic employees in western France became ill after eating food served at their company’s Christmas dinner on December 15, 2023.
The employees experienced vomiting and diarrhea. Some also suffered from colic and headaches, and dozens became bedridden. The Regional Health Agency is investigating the incident and has sent a questionnaire to everyone who attended the meal.
The ARS health authorities will analyze samples of every product served at the restaurant. The investigation is expected to take several more days, and the results should be available next week. Airbus Atlantic is a subsidiary of Airbus, the world’s largest aircraft maker, and employs 15,000 people in five countries.
Airbus Atlantic hosted the party at a restaurant on-site, located in Montoir-de-Bretagne, which is in western France. Dinner included lobster, scallops, gone gars, and tournedos, which included desserts of hazelnut chocolate mousse and ice-cream logs.
French health officials said they haven’t determined a cause for what sparked the illnesses. One employee who goes by Nolwenn told Ouest-France newspaper that the illness was painful. “I had colic and headaches like I’d never had before. It was worse than giving birth,” Nolwenn said. A spokesperson for Airbus Atlantic told the outlet that nobody was “seriously ill.”
“The case is now being handled by the health authority, which is leading the investigation,” the spokesperson said. Secretary of the Airbus Atlantic works committee, Jean-Claude Iribarren, told the French newspaper that the food was made by the company’s canteen.
“People have been a little hasty about the causes. We are obliged to keep samples of every product served in the restaurant. They will be analysed by the ARS. The investigation will take several more days,” Iribarren said.
