The vendor that served up the now infamous cronut burger that made dozens of people sick at the CNE reopened Tuesday, albeit without the signature treat on the menu.
“We feel quite confident that Epic Burger and Waffles and the products they’re serving are safe and that the public can eat safely both at Epic Burger and Waffles and at the CNE,” Dr. Lisa Berger, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health, told reporters at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
The vendor started serving up food again just hours after Toronto Public Health announced that it had identified the maple bacon jam on the cronut burger as the source of the Staphylococcus aureus toxin that made at least 79 people sick.
"New lab results indicate that the maple bacon jam, which is one component of the cronut burger, is the cause of food-borne illnesses at the CNE," said Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, in a news release issued Tuesday morning. "We have ensured the contaminated product is not served. There is no risk to the public."
The jam was supplied by Le Dolci and health officials will now focus their investigation on the supplier, Toronto Public Health said.
It’s not yet clear how the contamination occurred, but Le Dolci has voluntarily ceased production of the jam as health officials investigate.
A statement posted on the Le Dolci’s Facebook page Tuesday said the bakery would be closed for a scheduled summer vacation from today until Sept. 3.
Another statement posted several hours later said the facility is cooperating with the TPH investigation.
“Some of you may have heard the news today. We thank all of our loyal customers, friends and family for their support and kind words,” the bakery wrote. “At present we are fully cooperating with Toronto Public Health and will update you as soon as we can.”
Berger said health officials are still working to determine how the jam – made to order for the cronut burger – became contaminated.
“Our investigation is not complete into how the maple bacon jam was contaminated,” Berger said. “We’re looking info all aspects of the different ingredients in the jam – how it was transported, how it was processed and how it was handled on site.”
She said contaminated samples of the jam were found at both Epic Burger and Waffles and at Le Dolci.
As of Tuesday, 223 people have reported being ill after eating at the CNE, Berger said.
Toronto Public Health has confirmed that 79 people who had symptoms consistent with the contaminant found in the jam ate the cronut burger.
Of those, six people were sent to hospital and one was kept overnight for observation.
Health officials said Epic Burger and Waffles – the maker of the cronut burger – could reopen today as long as it doesn’t serve the jam and all food safety requirements are met.
In a statement released shortly after the TPH announcement, the vendor said it has decided to remove the cronut burger from its menu and to stop using the supplier of the jam.
The cronut burger was the only menu item that made use of the maple bacon jam, Epic Burger said in its statement.
“We would like to take the time to thank Toronto Public Health for their hard work in verifying that our products are safe and our remaining suppliers are of the highest quality,” the vendor said in a statement. “We also appreciate the time they put in to verify that our establishment is of a high standard when it comes to cleanliness, procedure, and safety.”
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