Silo named as the salmonella source. Avoid the chicken and mayo roll

Is that the place that specialises in exotic cheeses? If so, I’ve only been there once, but it was amazing. Quite pricey, but the cheeses were spectacular and well worth the price.

average_jo said :

Silo – rude, arrogant, in capable service like nothing you have ever seen!! Why people ever go more than once is beyond me!!

The service at silo is by far the worst service experience possible in Canberra and likely to be in the bottom 1-2% across the country.

You are presenting an argument from Error Of Fact. What evidence do you present that Silo has the worst service in Canberra? You have eaten in every cafe/restaurant in Canberra? What criteria are you using for judging service? Bottom 1-2% across the country?? I would like to see the survey that backs up your statement.

average_jo said :

You hear people often joke saying “if it wasn’t for customers the job would be easy” – well these guys actually do everything they can to ensure customers don’t return and for some reason are still busy. [b]It is only those airhead yuppies who have no idea who wouldn’t notice it!![/b]

There seems to be quite differing opinions on what constitutes “rude” service. As I have stated earlier I have not struck it but there seems to be many people, judging on how busy it is at times, who are willing to make purchases there regardless of the service. Would people care to give examples and not just state “crap service”?
Ad hominem arguments are tiresom.

gyproc said :

Chop71 said :

Lucky they didn’t kill someone

They did NOT try to kill someone. People consumed raw eggs. There is a known risk of contracting salmonella when consuming raw eggs. (I say “known” but given peoples’ disregard for everyday risks and act surprised when something out of the usual happens to them.) Don’t want to take the chance? Don’t eat it.Same as cheese made from unpasterised milk. Tastes great doesn’t it? But what about the risk of listeria poisoning? It kills people but it won’t stop me from eating it.

Yet another mindless yuppy I see…open your eyes!!

As for the comments of rude staff. I really don’t understand these comments. I like to eat at Silo every 2-3 weeks and I have never witness rude staff but given the behavior of some of the patrons I think the staff would be quite within their rights to tell some people to go stick it. I saw a couple leave their table because both their coffees didn’t turn up at the same time!! I have heard people complaining about how noisy it is there. OMG!! It’s noisy!! Who would have thought that a busy bakery/cafe would be noisy?

People should lighten up and appreciate the fact they can go to (imo) an awesome bakery and not have their day ruined by a falling bomb. <– No joke intended.

Gyp

Holden Caulfield said :

average_jo said :

Silo – rude, arrogant, in capable service like nothing you have ever seen!! Why people ever go more than once is beyond me!!

The service at silo is by far the worst service experience possible in Canberra and likely to be in the bottom 1-2% across the country.

Remember people – you making and serving the coffee!!!!

Presumably, your finite opinion is based on one visit?

Several visits over several years – unlike some, no I am not one of the mindless yuppies!!

I have known as long as I can remember that poultry harbours “something” and therefore chicken is not a meat you eat rare and eggs are not something you eat raw. At some point I realised raw eggs DO feature in some recipes (mayonnaise, egg nog) and I figured there must be an explanation why it can be done safely. If someone is selling a raw egg product they should be expected to know the details of how to deliver a product that is safe (correct handling, using pasteurised eggs, whatever). Choosing to buy a lunch roll isn’t like choosing to take up skydiving or something, a thrill that you accept comes with some risks.

The authorities haven’t confirmed exactly what want wrong so despite my one unimpressive takeaway from Silo I was trying to keep an open mind. I went back to read the reviews on various websites again and while the food varied from okay to incredibly wonderful the frequent negative comments about the service really stand out. It just seems a strange way to run a business.

average_jo said :

Silo – rude, arrogant, in capable service like nothing you have ever seen!! Why people ever go more than once is beyond me!!

The service at silo is by far the worst service experience possible in Canberra and likely to be in the bottom 1-2% across the country.

Remember people – you making and serving the coffee!!!!

Presumably, your finite opinion is based on one visit?

We give this place a go every year or so as we think “surely was it that bad” – and yes every year we are reminded – it is incredible that it doesn’t matter if they have new staff, the management/owners are clearly the problem as it is so consistently crap service!!

You hear people often joke saying “if it wasn’t for customers the job would be easy” – well these guys actually do everything they can to ensure customers don’t return and for some reason are still busy. It is only those airhead yuppies who have no idea who wouldn’t notice it!!

Silo – rude, arrogant, in capable service like nothing you have ever seen!! Why people ever go more than once is beyond me!!

The service at silo is by far the worst service experience possible in Canberra and likely to be in the bottom 1-2% across the country.

Remember people – you making and serving the coffee!!!!

creative_canberran said :

. I’ve seen no indication customers were warned that the mayo contained raw egg..

That is like warning people that a bag of peanuts contains nuts.

Mayonnaise is made of raw egg. That’s what it is.

creative_canberran said :

Your comment is ridiculous, trying to blame the consumer, really ridiculous. I’ve seen no indication customers were warned that the mayo contained raw egg.

So we DO need those signs on the footpath telling us to look left and look right? We need signs on steps to tell us there is a risk of tripping? Perhaps a we should have to fill in a form acknowledging there is a possibility of injury or death when we ride public transport. Why aren’t there signs on the food warning us of the risk of choking?

creative_canberran said :

Silo can do no wrong, it’s those bloody customers!
The place is cramped, the products average and the staff surly.
Try getting over the Basil Fawlty Complex.

Pardon me for liking the place. Yes, the place IS cramped, I think the products are great and I find the staff to be at worst to be ok and at best enjoyable to talk to. Including the owners.

Gyp

creative_canberran said :

The place is cramped, the products average and the staff surly.

And yet it’s mostly very, very busy. Something doesn’t quite gel here.

But then Cafe Injoy seems to do a roaring trade and that was more like a cheap caravan park cafe last time I went. Which was a very long time ago I admit.

I’m no Silo regular, and sometimes it does feel a wee bit pretentious, but overall I think it’s getting a bad wrap here; salmonella issues aside, haha.

el said :

Never understood the popularity of this place. The food is average to ‘pretty good’ by cafe standards, but overpriced, and the shop staff treat you like shit.

Oh, and it appears that there’s been absolutely no apology from management to the numerous customers affected by their poisoned ‘meals’. Top work guys!

Beatnik urban types don’t need to apologize to people like you.

gyproc said :

Chop71 said :

Lucky they didn’t kill someone

They did NOT try to kill someone. People consumed raw eggs. There is a known risk of contracting salmonella when consuming raw eggs. (I say “known” but given peoples’ disregard for everyday risks and act surprised when something out of the usual happens to them.) Don’t want to take the chance? Don’t eat it.

Your comment is ridiculous, trying to blame the consumer, really ridiculous. I’ve seen no indication customers were warned that the mayo contained raw egg.

gyproc said :

As for the comments of rude staff. I really don’t understand these comments. I like to eat at Silo every 2-3 weeks and I have never witness rude staff but given the behavior of some of the patrons I think the staff would be quite within their rights to tell some people to go stick it.

Silo can do no wrong, it’s those bloody customers!
The place is cramped, the products average and the staff surly.
Try getting over the Basil Fawlty Complex.

Watson said :

But I do love a good home made mayo with my chips too. 🙂

You just gave yourself away Watson!

You’ve always been reluctant to reveal your European nationality, but based on this post it would seem you are Dutch. Funny, I’d always had you pegged as German. (No offence).

forgoodnessake said :

The fact the owner is getting so irate and defensive about the hygiene comments says guilty conscience to me as well.

I see. So if the owner appeared blase this would prove her innocent?

Chop71 said :

Lucky they didn’t kill someone

They did NOT try to kill someone. People consumed raw eggs. There is a known risk of contracting salmonella when consuming raw eggs. (I say “known” but given peoples’ disregard for everyday risks and act surprised when something out of the usual happens to them.) Don’t want to take the chance? Don’t eat it.Same as cheese made from unpasterised milk. Tastes great doesn’t it? But what about the risk of listeria poisoning? It kills people but it won’t stop me from eating it.

As for the comments of rude staff. I really don’t understand these comments. I like to eat at Silo every 2-3 weeks and I have never witness rude staff but given the behavior of some of the patrons I think the staff would be quite within their rights to tell some people to go stick it. I saw a couple leave their table because both their coffees didn’t turn up at the same time!! I have heard people complaining about how noisy it is there. OMG!! It’s noisy!! Who would have thought that a busy bakery/cafe would be noisy?

People should lighten up and appreciate the fact they can go to (imo) an awesome bakery and not have their day ruined by a falling bomb. <– No joke intended.

Gyp

Danman said :

Sorry, just had to chime in from the viewpoint of a qualified chef

Any cafe worth their salt is not going to use a commercial mayonnaise, they taste more like sugar than mayonnaise.

All poultry has salmonella present in it, but it is at a level where it can cause no harm

Hand made mayonnaise is an emulsion of a carrier oil, raw, yes raw egg yolks and mustard/vinegar to help emulsify the oil with the egg.. This is how it has been done for centuries and its safe as houses.

As with any poultry product, a problem will arise if it sits at room temperature for too long, or is cycled warm cold warm cold too often. This provides the correct conditions for naturally occurring salmonella to multiply to a point where it can kill people at both ends of their lifecycle.

What I suggest may have been the problem, if in fact it was mayo, is that it has sit out of the fridge for too long during service and not been disposed of after it got too warm or sat out too long too many times.

As with all foodstuffs that require refrigeration, they should be stored ~4 degrees Celsius, certainly no warmer than 6 deg cel, and keeping it out of the fridge for longer than you need it is a huge no no.. Not because it could get lethal in 10 minutes, but generally speaking, if you use it and then forget to put it back, its sitting out for who knows how long, and can, after multiple instances of that, become a story in the CT.

I used to make my own mayo after I came to Oz until I discovered Thomy. All the other commercial mayos sold here don’t even resemble what mayo should taste like and should not be allowed to use the name. But I do love a good home made mayo with my chips too. 🙂

I also make beef tartare regularly. With raw beef and egg yolk. Great on white bread or Melba toast, yum! I agree refrigeration is the key here and not the raw factor as such.

Danman said :

Sorry, just had to chime in from the viewpoint of a qualified chef

Any cafe worth their salt is not going to use a commercial mayonnaise, they taste more like sugar than mayonnaise.

All poultry has salmonella present in it, but it is at a level where it can cause no harm

Hand made mayonnaise is an emulsion of a carrier oil, raw, yes raw egg yolks and mustard/vinegar to help emulsify the oil with the egg.. This is how it has been done for centuries and its safe as houses.

As with any poultry product, a problem will arise if it sits at room temperature for too long, or is cycled warm cold warm cold too often. This provides the correct conditions for naturally occurring salmonella to multiply to a point where it can kill people at both ends of their lifecycle.

What I suggest may have been the problem, if in fact it was mayo, is that it has sit out of the fridge for too long during service and not been disposed of after it got too warm or sat out too long too many times.

As with all foodstuffs that require refrigeration, they should be stored ~4 degrees Celsius, certainly no warmer than 6 deg cel, and keeping it out of the fridge for longer than you need it is a huge no no.. Not because it could get lethal in 10 minutes, but generally speaking, if you use it and then forget to put it back, its sitting out for who knows how long, and can, after multiple instances of that, become a story in the CT.

Well said danman.

I do feel worried about what the comments regarding using free range eggs might do to their reputation. Although the ignorants who would agree/believe such statements probably wouldn’t spend the extra $$ buying them anyway. The fact the owner is getting so irate and defensive about the hygiene comments says guilty conscience to me as well.

Not been there – put off by stories of pushy customers and crummy staff – but noticed it got a run in the Canberra Times restaurants of the year.

(This might be coming from the left left left field but…)

If eggs are the culprit then there is always a commercial alternative.

KRAFT CLASSIC MAYONNAISE.
(contains NO EGGS)

Ummm…. errr… WTF??? Why are they selling what they call mayonnaise (oil, egg yolk, vinegar ) that doesn’t have any EGGS in them?????

(okay, I will now just retreat back to the left field…)

——

*cough cough* Back on topic…

As someone has already mentioned, finding the source of the salmonella, which may likely be in the egg, should be a high priority rather than to focus on the retail outlet that uses it, irrespective of the difference in the views between the outlet owner and the consumers (you).

It has happened in the past (me, as an example, from eating runny egg that was purchased at the… (no, let’s not go there as it could have dire consequences on retailers without having all the evidence at hand. No, it’s not Silo.).

Frankly I would say this is a First World problem, not a Third World. Let me explain. Food takes time, in terms of logistics, to get to us. During that time it is always at a risk of being infected by bacteria, including salmonella. We try to overcome that with the technology of refrigeration, but it is not foolproof (Salmonella are not destroyed by freezing – wiki).

We’ve gone past the days when we purchase fresh food to be consume on the same day. Unless you buy them at those “Farmer Direct” outlets they are most certain to be days, even weeks, old.

And just a dig on one of the biggest grocery outlet: Is it really FRESH? FOOD? PEOPLE?

Or did you mean FRESH people?

creative_canberran said :

And in the Win News story tonight, they claimed the owners were “no longer going to use free range eggs in mayonnaise, if at all.” Certainly hope that’s a misquote, it’s rawness that’s the issue, not whether it’s organic, free range or otherwise.

Rawness isn’t the issue. Taht’s how you make mayonnaise. The lunchtime cafe we use makes their own mayonnaise, and no one’s died or even tried to from it. I make my own mayonnaise, just plain old free range eggs, oil, vinegar and a bit of hot water. The funny thing is, to make good mayonnaise, everything has to be at room temperature. But if you leave it lying around unrefridgerated, then it’s going to develop into something nasty and blind freddy knows that.

It’s not just in Canberra anymore…

http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/tag/silo-bakery

Interesting that Tilleys never got outed for their salmonella outbreak a couple of years ago. I know two people who were evilly sick for days afterwards after breakfast there, and their dealings with ACT Health suggested there were a few others…

Danman said :

Any cafe worth their salt is not going to use a commercial mayonnaise, they taste more like sugar than mayonnaise.

lol, and I suppose anything less than Grange is just rancid grape juice.

Anyway, I think everyone will find this document very interesting, both in the results it finds and the suggestions it makes.
http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/_Documents/industry_pdf/raw_egg_dressing_survey_report.pdf

In particular, the temperature and the pH of the product containing raw egg are vital.

The document also raises something which is reflected in recommendations by the CDC in the US, that commercial food outlets should use pasteurised egg in products requiring raw egg, such as mayo and sauces.

The conclusion of the report was:

“The responses gathered in this survey tended to indicate that certain basic practices were not routinely carried out and the majority of businesses required improvement…”

“It appears that a high proportion of business do not feel it is a viable option to change over to a commercial product or pasteurised egg product. With this in mind, more specific guidance is needed to improve the safety of existing raw egg dressings.

According to industry, pasteurised egg yolks are difficult to obtain and not a practical alternative to raw shell eggs. In general, businesses did not know where to get pasteurised egg yolks from and those that have sought pasteurised egg pulp have found it difficult to find a supplier to meet their needs. While pasteurised egg is sold either frozen or fresh, it is in too large a batch for small to medium food premises.”

My opinion is 99% of people won’t be able to tell the difference between a good commercial mayo and a handmade one when blended with other ingredients. Frankly this sounds like a niche thing, too often being done with insufficient skill and on the cheap when it’s actually something that needs skill and investment.

sepi said :

If the salmonella is in the raw eggs, then shouldn’t they be telling us the brand of eggs also?
Or can salmonella form in mayonnaise due to poor storage etc after being made?

Like most bacteria, Salmonella can multiply under the right conditions – right temperature, open to oxygen & with a food source (proteins). The speed of this depends on the temperature; if it’s kept cold enough even a tiny amount of the bacteria can stay below dangerous levels.

At least until this outbreak, Silo appeared to have stored all of their mayonnaise-containing sandwiches for the day in an unrefrigerated counter display at ambient temperature.

Under these conditions it seems to me that it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

A colleague of mine insists we go there for coffee when we meet, and the service is consistently crap.

Never understood the popularity of this place. The food is average to ‘pretty good’ by cafe standards, but overpriced, and the shop staff treat you like shit.

Oh, and it appears that there’s been absolutely no apology from management to the numerous customers affected by their poisoned ‘meals’. Top work guys!

MissChief said :

johnboy said :

If, and it’s a huge if, hands are being washed regularly then bare hands is more hygenic than manky gloves IIRC.

OMG YES! The amount of times I’ve seen counter staff use the same manky gloves to take money, wipe counters and then handle food! They must think the gloves are there to keep their hands clean rather than protect customers from nasties. The most grotesque version of this I saw was when the lady at a popular salad bar in Woden turned the salad with her manky gloved hand!

+1

i was in a line waiting to order a ready made lunch in a very popular civic location, and watched the guy wiped down the counter with his gloved hand and then proceeded to put ingredients together with the same gloved hand. omg.

Sorry, just had to chime in from the viewpoint of a qualified chef

Any cafe worth their salt is not going to use a commercial mayonnaise, they taste more like sugar than mayonnaise.

All poultry has salmonella present in it, but it is at a level where it can cause no harm

Hand made mayonnaise is an emulsion of a carrier oil, raw, yes raw egg yolks and mustard/vinegar to help emulsify the oil with the egg.. This is how it has been done for centuries and its safe as houses.

As with any poultry product, a problem will arise if it sits at room temperature for too long, or is cycled warm cold warm cold too often. This provides the correct conditions for naturally occurring salmonella to multiply to a point where it can kill people at both ends of their lifecycle.

What I suggest may have been the problem, if in fact it was mayo, is that it has sit out of the fridge for too long during service and not been disposed of after it got too warm or sat out too long too many times.

As with all foodstuffs that require refrigeration, they should be stored ~4 degrees Celsius, certainly no warmer than 6 deg cel, and keeping it out of the fridge for longer than you need it is a huge no no.. Not because it could get lethal in 10 minutes, but generally speaking, if you use it and then forget to put it back, its sitting out for who knows how long, and can, after multiple instances of that, become a story in the CT.

johnboy said :

Silo is reopening tomorrow.

And in the Win News story tonight, they claimed the owners were “no longer going to use free range eggs in mayonnaise, if at all.” Certainly hope that’s a misquote, it’s rawness that’s the issue, not whether it’s organic, free range or otherwise.

GardeningGirl said :

The gloves are useless if you simply rely on them as a replacement for hygienic practices and common sense, something I wish I’d stopped to say before walking out of the fast food shop where the young lad assembling burgers was scratching his pants with his gloves.

By “pants” do you mean a***? LOL. I know it’s disgusting but I can’t help laughing. I’m making all my own meals from now on!

Silo is reopening tomorrow.

BimboGeek said :

This is why I bought a huge tub of hand sanitiser for my cafe staff to use. They can scrounge a chip without making themselves sick, handle money then serve cakes without making anyone else sick, and even perform surgery if the need arises!

I’d be saying no to any surgeon who only washes their hands with hand sanitiser – it’s good, but not that good 🙂

Totally agree with other comments here about the shocking attitude of waiters at Silo. Urban Pantry has the same quality breads at around half the attitude factor (not to say they don’t have attitude either). If you want a friendly yet delicious bakery experience in Canberra, Knead at Belconnen Markets is hard to beat.

I wonder after this PR disaster if humble pie will feature on the menu at Silo….you can’t be snooty anymore after a round of dodgy mayo!

Rusalka said :

My main concern, bar the people who are unfortunately very ill obviously, is that we will be subjected to a knee-jerk reaction that will ban free range eggs from being used in commercial kitchens.

As long as the birds are kept in environments that are kept relatively clean, and the eggs are cleaned or collected quickly, free range eggs are so much nicer to eat. Not mention the birds themselves are so much more healthy (thus less likely to have salmonella bacteria) and happy.

I would have thought caged birds would be as much if not more prone to problems. I hope more details will be made available once investigations are complete.

My main concern, bar the people who are unfortunately very ill obviously, is that we will be subjected to a knee-jerk reaction that will ban free range eggs from being used in commercial kitchens.

As long as the birds are kept in environments that are kept relatively clean, and the eggs are cleaned or collected quickly, free range eggs are so much nicer to eat. Not mention the birds themselves are so much more healthy (thus less likely to have salmonella bacteria) and happy.

MissChief said :

johnboy said :

If, and it’s a huge if, hands are being washed regularly then bare hands is more hygenic than manky gloves IIRC.

OMG YES! The amount of times I’ve seen counter staff use the same manky gloves to take money, wipe counters and then handle food! They must think the gloves are there to keep their hands clean rather than protect customers from nasties. The most grotesque version of this I saw was when the lady at a popular salad bar in Woden turned the salad with her manky gloved hand!

The gloves are useless if you simply rely on them as a replacement for hygienic practices and common sense, something I wish I’d stopped to say before walking out of the fast food shop where the young lad assembling burgers was scratching his pants with his gloves.

According to the Canberra Times Silo’s owner “had worked most of yesterday to ”tick off” the problems the health department had with the premises”.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/closed-bakerys-health-battle/2385632.aspx
I wonder what problems (plural) were found? As for feeling cheated because an inspection and authorisation to reopen didn’t happen at her convenience, I imagine the people who might have had other more enjoyable plans but found themselves in hospital might also feel cheated?

I think the comments from co-owner Leanne Gray the past couple of days demonstrate just how poor the food safety practices are at Silo and how important it is that ACT Health prosecute their case to the full extent of the law.

Here’s what she said to CT today:

“‘They are intimating we are a dirty premises and I am absolutely outraged and insulted,”

ACT Health is doing nothing of the sort. Yet every single comment she is making talks about hygiene and food handling, none of the published comments show her talking about what ingredients and preparation she uses, which is where this food poisoning has come from, raw ingredients.

The fact that she seems to be ignoring it and is so focused on “hygiene” shows a dangerous ignorance to my mind. She doesn’t seem to comprehend that it was not by accident, but by design that she poisoned at least 13 customers. Which is to say it was the design of the mayo, using an unsafe ingredient, that lead to the poisonings, not an inadvertent lapse in hygiene.

Rude staff, an owner who is missing the point. Frankly they should all go back to hospitality school and relearn the basics. And in the mean time Leanne should quit bitching about ACT Health not rushing to let her reopen and spend a little time thanking the stars that she doesn’t have a death on her conscience.

This is why I bought a huge tub of hand sanitiser for my cafe staff to use. They can scrounge a chip without making themselves sick, handle money then serve cakes without making anyone else sick, and even perform surgery if the need arises!

johnboy said :

If, and it’s a huge if, hands are being washed regularly then bare hands is more hygenic than manky gloves IIRC.

OMG YES! The amount of times I’ve seen counter staff use the same manky gloves to take money, wipe counters and then handle food! They must think the gloves are there to keep their hands clean rather than protect customers from nasties. The most grotesque version of this I saw was when the lady at a popular salad bar in Woden turned the salad with her manky gloved hand!

@ Watson – it is true that commercial mayo is pretty safe. But, Silo makes its own, using (of course) ‘organic’ raw eggs. And you are mistaken that mayo made this way is a poor medium for salmonella, on the contrary.

I’m guessing some ‘organic’ chook poo from the ‘organic’ eggs, which weren’t properly sterilised the way the despised ‘inorganic’ eggs are, got into the mayo. Or it could simply be contamination from the ‘organic’ chicken, for similar reasons.

poetix said :

… It’s a huge worry. This is all like a third world problem oozing into the first.

Okay, now I’m not diminishing the concern or anything, but let’s keep our wits about it. There are hundreds (thousands?) of restaurants in Canberra, and many of us eat out every day, especially for lunch. I don’t have any supporting statistical data, but from my own experience I can say that neither I nor any of my close friends ever contracted any diseases from eating in restaurants. All in all, I’d say we are very far from what a typical 3rd word country experiences.

This is not to say that we should lift health regulation, of course. Still, Canberra is a pretty safe place to eat outside, even with bathrooms looking the way they do.

poetix said :

Do you ever check out the toilets at restaurants? Remember, the staff probably use them too, and sometimes there is no soap, or the soap looks like it is dirty itself. (And no, I don’t have OCD.) It’s a huge worry.

This is all like a third world problem oozing into the first.

I thought staff are supposed to wash their hands again at the handwashing basin in the kitchen before they resume their tasks? I once folowed a girl in an apron out of a public toilet and questioned her as to why she didn’t wash her hands and she said she does it back at work. I have two problems with that, surely it’s better to enter the kitchen with reasonably clean hands in the first place before you go to the kitchen handbasin AND what about the rest of us who have to touch the door handle you just touched????? Make that three problems, anyone so lacking in common sense and consideration for others shouldn’t be serving food to the public!

Yeah, depressing thought.

I’d guess that it is way more likely that the chicken was the cause of the salmonella than the mayonnaise. Commercial mayo is usually made with pasteurised eggs and/or has enough preservatives in it to kill bacteria in a 3 mile radius. And mayo – full of oil and acid – is not a particularly good medium for bacteria growth.

Do you ever check out the toilets at restaurants? Remember, the staff probably use them too, and sometimes there is no soap, or the soap looks like it is dirty itself. (And no, I don’t have OCD.) It’s a huge worry.

This is all like a third world problem oozing into the first.

madamcholet said :

I was in the local City IGA a few weeks ago and witnessed a young lad putting fresh bread rolls and such into the cabinet with his bare hands. I subsequently called the health dept, and to their credit they responded very quickly, although did say that this was not an offence…just not great practice, but that they would check them out at the next visit which was approaching anyway. It only takes one person not washing their hands, touching food and the work is then already underway.

I was in a supermarket once and noticed a woman pushing a trolley around replenishing the self-serve containers of individual bread rolls and sweeping up the crumbs on the floor in the vicinity. Each time she hung the broom back on the trolley it dangled against the uncovered bread rolls on the lowest shelf of the trolley. I pointed it out to her and she just shrugged and continued doing it.
If something isn’t great practice why isn’t it an offence?

If the salmonella is in the raw eggs, then shouldn’t they be telling us the brand of eggs also?
Or can salmonella form in mayonnaise due to poor storage etc after being made?

If, and it’s a huge if, hands are being washed regularly then bare hands is more hygenic than manky gloves IIRC.

Store bought mayo uses eggs that have been heat treated to eliminate the risk of anything living in there – like milk – that’s why it can sit on a shelf for years. It also contains vinegar and lemon which would help kill any nasties. I love mayo so much I can eat it out of the jar, but always a bit wary of deli counter mayo.

I was in the local City IGA a few weeks ago and witnessed a young lad putting fresh bread rolls and such into the cabinet with his bare hands. I subsequently called the health dept, and to their credit they responded very quickly, although did say that this was not an offence…just not great practice, but that they would check them out at the next visit which was approaching anyway. It only takes one person not washing their hands, touching food and the work is then already underway.

Looks like SIlo management should read this thread and maybe learn the other reason why people won’t go there!

I agree with other comments that it’s difficult to explicitly blame silo for this outbreak. If you eat uncooked egg you’re always taking a risk no matter where they come from.

Personally, I think Silo is an overpriced, unfriendly hangout for has-been hipsters. The last time I went there, the coffee was probably the worst I’ve had in Canberra, the pastry equally unimpressive and the staff, to be blunt, were quite simply just rude. I will never imderstand why people continue to queue to experence such low service.

Whenever you eat uncooked eggs you’re taking a risk*. Unless evidence comes up saying that Silo did something wrong with their handling of the eggs, then it’s not really their fault.

* I am aware that you can get Pasteurised eggs, that eliminate (reduce?) the risk, but I haven’t seen them in Australia.

I thought all mayonnaise contained “raw egg”? I guess there was either something up with the eggs, or the way the mayonnaise was stored, or maybe the chicken was allowed to get warm.

I don’t darken the doors of Silo, I don’t care how good their food is. I’m not giving them my money, plenty of silly people willing to put up with arrogance.

I drove across to Kingston last week for lunch and purchased a chicken roll. I have been feeling like crap ever since. Now I see this!! F@$K you silo – never again!

wycx said :

It is believed raw egg in mayonnaise made at the Silo bakery in Kingston is to blame for the outbreak.

I suspect the need for the Health Department to look like they are on top of it trumps the need to not jump to faith-based conclusions.

Seems pretty evidence-based to me – if a number of people have contracted salmonella and they all ate at the same place in the last few days then the logical conclusion would be…

It is believed raw egg in mayonnaise made at the Silo bakery in Kingston is to blame for the outbreak.

I suspect the need for the Health Department to look like they are on top of it trumps the need to not jump to faith-based conclusions.

As one who got a bad case of the runs after a chicken and mayo roll from Silo last week, I would have really liked to see the management apologising to those who got sick and promising to find and fix the problem- instead we get to hear how outraged the owners are that ACT Health have had to step in…

Very consistent with their general attitude towards their customers..

I had salmonella posioning when I was 4 months pregnant – back in 2008.Won’t go into how horrendous that was, but when my obstetrician called me to advise that’s what it was, he asked if I had received a call from “the authorities”. When I said I hadn’t he said he was surprised due to the fact that salmonella is a reportable illness and that they would normally follow up tofind out where it may have stemmed from. Incidentally I had eaten potato salad and a chicken pie a few days prior from a respectable takeaway place in City West.

Anyway, it was not followed up and I have felt dudded ever since. Glad my obstetrician cared, cos it was pretty scary at the time.

Just on the Silo thing – I’ve been in there once in the 7 years I have lived in Canberra, and whilst the food, particularly the sweet things look and taste wonderful, I was not impressed witht he service at all.

Lucky they didn’t kill someone

After how rude they were the last time I was there, I hope they stay closed for a while!