A popular acai cafe has been given the green light to reopen after 45 customers allegedly fell ill with food poisoning.
Blue Lemon Acai in Wahroonga, in Sydney’s north shore, was forced to close on September 20 when it was given a prohibition order by health authorities.
The NSW Food Authority received several complaints from people who claimed they’d suffered symptoms of food poisoning after eating acai-based desserts at the cafe.
That prohibition order was lifted at 8pm on Friday night, with business expected to return as usual on Saturday.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said they’d carried out another inspection of the business on Friday, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Samples taken from the store by authorities had returned clear, although it’s understood NSW Health are continuing to analyse other clinical samples to find the cause of the reported outbreak.
Around 45 people allegedly fell ill with food poisoning, three of whom had gone to hospital.
At the time, the cafe’s owners said they were treating the complaints seriously.
Blue Lemon Acai in Wahroonga, in Sydney’s north shore, was forced to close on September 20 when it was given a prohibition order by health authorities
‘We have been operating in Wahroonga for 10 years and take great pride in serving our friends and the local community the healthy products we make with love every day,’ they said in a statement.
‘We are devastated by the news of people getting ill and have undertaken a full review of the situation, including our suppliers.’
The owners had said they were aware of some 16 complaints, though some of them appeared to be from fake accounts.
NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the government had been made aware of 45 reports of alleged food poisoning.
‘In the interests of public safety, a prohibition order was issued by my department through the NSW Food Authority on the Wahroonga located business Blue Lemon Acai,’ Ms Moriarty said in a statement.
‘(This) follows a large number of complaints by customers alleging food-borne illness symptoms after consuming acai-based frozen desserts.
‘The order was put in place to reduce any further public health impact and will close the facility until further notice.’
Acai is made from powdered acai berries native to Brazil that are mixed with frozen fruit, often banana and blueberries, to form a desert similar to ice cream.
Acai is made from berries native to Brazil which are powdered and mixed with frozen fruit to make a desert like ice cream but ‘healthier’ (stock image)
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