YILAN (TVBS News) — Health officials have launched an investigation into a significant food poisoning outbreak at an upscale hot pot establishment in northeastern Taiwan. The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 疾管署) confirmed Tuesday (March 25) that laboratory tests have identified norovirus in five customers and five staff members at the Shabu Le Wagyu Hot Pot (涮樂和牛) restaurant in Luodong Township (羅東), a popular dining destination in Yilan County.
The newly opened restaurant, which had been in trial operation for just ten days since March 15, has seen dozens of diners fall ill with classic food poisoning symptoms including severe vomiting and diarrhea. The rapidly spreading outbreak has already affected 63 people, triggering a comprehensive epidemiological investigation by national health authorities. CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) emphasized that investigators have not yet pinpointed the exact contamination source.
According to the Yilan County Health Bureau (宜蘭縣衛生局), this incident represents the region's first significant food poisoning case of 2025, prompting heightened vigilance among local health officials. Responding swiftly to mounting reports of illness, county officials established a dedicated task force last Friday. The team immediately initiated comprehensive on-site inspections and collected biological samples from ten staff members and five affected customers between Wednesday and Thursday of last week.
The investigation revealed that the infected restaurant workers spanned different operational areas, with three positive cases from the kitchen staff and two from customer-facing positions, complicating efforts to isolate the outbreak's origin. Health officials have expanded their investigation beyond human samples to include comprehensive environmental testing throughout the restaurant facility. Authorities have also distributed detailed questionnaires to affected diners to identify potential high-risk ingredients from the restaurant's premium hot pot offerings. Tseng indicated that the CDC would provide additional updates as the investigation progresses.
