More than 700 Airbus staff members in France were reportedly left vomiting and with diarrhea after their Christmas dinner ended in disaster, prompting an investigation from public health authorities.
The Regional Health Agency is investigating after the festive meal on Friday December 15 took a turn for the worst, with one worker at theEuropean multinational aerospace company describing the sickness as "worse than childbirth", according to French newspaper LaDepeche.
Employees also suffered colic and headaches, and dozens found themselves "bedridden", without "understanding what was happening", according to one guest who has not been named.
The Airbus Atlantic meal, served to around 3,000 people on the Montoir-de-Bretagne site, reportedly included scallop casseroles, lobster, and chocolate hazelnut verrines and cheeses - all for the modest sum of €15, LaDepeche reports.
"We still don't know if this concerns the Christmas meal or the service the next day, the first cases having been declared on Friday," Frédérick David, FO Airbus delegate and member of the CSE, told French newspaper de l'Ouest.
No one was "seriously ill" and all employees were back at work the next Monday, Airbus told the Standard.
An epidemiological questionnaire has been sent to everyone who was at the meal. According to several sources, the cheese served for the occasion seemed to raise questions.
In a statement Airbus said only 100 people fell ill and that it was co-operating with health authorities "to identify the cause of the illness and ensure this cannot happen again in the future".
"On Friday 15th December, around 100 Airbus Atlantic employees were taken ill after contracting a food-borne illness after eating the company-organised Christmas lunch," the statement said.
"This appears to be an isolated event and all employees are recovering well.
"The health of our employees remains our primary concern and we are fully cooperating with the ARS health agency to identify the cause of the illness and ensure this cannot happen again in the future."
Airbus Atlantic is a subsidiary of the world's largest aircraft maker, Airbus, and employs 15,000 people in five countries.
