A foie gras salad is likely to have killed five residents at a French retirement home, prosecutors said today.
The duck liver pate was served to 20 people before they fell violently ill at the residential care facility in Lhrem, near Toulouse, on Sunday night.
Four women and a man were dead within a few hours of eating the meal, while the others were rushed to intensive care units while vomiting and displaying other symptoms of food poisoning.
Prosecutors have said the foie gras is now “vital evidence” in the case that could lead to criminal charges.
2It is under lock and key, and will be examined in great detail,” said a source close to the case.
The victims, who were aged between 76 and 95, were said to have been in a good state of health.
The privately run Cheneraie retirement home passed a hygiene inspection in February, and up until now had an excellent safety record.
