Noma hit by food poisoning outbreak

Noma, Rene Redzepi's world-famous restaurant in Copenhagen, has been hit by a food poisoning outbreak, after nearly 70 diners fell ill with norovirus, otherwise known as the winter vomiting bug.

A total of 67 diners were taken ill with Roskilde Sickness, a variant of the virus which causes vomiting and diarrhoea, after eating at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant last month.

Fødevarestyrelsen, the national food authority in Denmark, blamed "poor hygiene" for the outbreak.

"There has been illness among staff who have handled the food products," it said.

The authority went on to criticise Noma for not reacting quickly enough and disinfecting the kitchen in time to prevent contamination. It also found that there was no hot water for staff to wash their hands.

Inspectors visited Noma on 20 February after it received reports that a number of customers had been taken ill with Roskilde Sickness after dining there between 12-16 February.

Out of 78 guests who had dined in the restaurant over the four-day period, 63 became sick, prompting authorities to conduct an inspection. Noma has since reported a further four cases, bringing the total of affected diners to 67.

In 2009, Heston Blumenthal closed his three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant after more than 500 diners were struck down by norovirus caused by contaminated shellfish. The chef later received £200,000 compensation from insurers.

Noma - a combination of Nordish (Nordic) and Mad (food) - is a partnership between Danish restaurateur and TV chef Claus Meyer and Redzepi, whose career has included stints at some of the world's finest restaurants, including Thomas Keller's French Laundry in California and Ferran Adrià's El Bulli in Spain.

Noma, which has been the named the world's best restaurant for three consecutive years, last year held a pop-up restaurant at Claridge's in London.

Noma was unavailable for comment.

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