HONOLULU (AP) – A restaurant chain in Hawaii that serves sushi on a conveyor belt threw out food and scrubbed its counters Tuesday after state authorities identified its raw scallops as the probable source of a hepatitis A outbreak.
Genki Sushi was ordered to close its 10 restaurants on Oahu and one on Kauai, said Peter Oshiro, Hawaii State Department of Health sanitation branch chief. The restaurants must dispose of their food supply and disposable items like cups and napkins and disinfect the facilities before they reopen.
The department said Monday that imported frozen scallops served raw at the restaurants was the source of the outbreak, which has sickened 168 people so far. The disease can cause fever, loss of appetite, nausea and other ailments.
People can contract the virus by eating contaminated food, drinking contaminated water, close personal contact or sex.
Oshiro praised Genki Sushi for being a “good partner” in its investigation into the source of the outbreak. He says the company hasn’t tried to hide any information and showed authorities invoices and distribution records.