Around 40 guests at a wedding reception in Benalmadena have suffered suspected food poisoning, prompting a health investigation by the Junta de Andalucia.

The wedding was celebrated on Saturday, October 10, at a four-star Hotel in Torrequebrada. Around 80 people attended the celebration, with approximately half reportedly becoming ill after eating the banquet meal.

Spain’s regional health authorities have opened an investigation into a suspected outbreak of foodborne illness. Inspectors are taking samples as they try to establish what caused so many guests to become unwell.

What was on the wedding menu?

The reception began at 2pm, with food served about an hour later. Guests were first offered appetisers, including cured ham and salmorejo, a cold tomato soup popular in southern Spain. The seated meal consisted of prawn risotto, meat served with hollandaise sauce and mille-feuille pastry for dessert.

One affected guest told Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia newspaper that they did not know which food might have caused the outbreak. Some guests began feeling ill during the night, while others developed symptoms on Sunday morning. The meal reportedly continued until around 6pm.

Guests suffered vomiting and diarrhoea

Reported symptoms included diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and muscle fatigue. Some guests also developed a fever. Many sought medical attention at local health centres. In some cases, couples were both too unwell to drive and had to call an ambulance. However, the health authorities confirmed that none of those affected had required hospital admission.

Spanish food safety rules could help investigators

The Junta’s Health Protection Unit is carrying out inspections to establish the cause of the suspected outbreak. Spanish food safety regulations require establishments to retain representative sample portions of meals served at certain events, including commissioned menus for groups of more than 40 people. These samples can help investigators identify the source of a suspected foodborne outbreak.

The investigation will need to establish whether a particular ingredient, food preparation, storage or temperature control played a part. Inadequate refrigeration and insufficient cooking or reheating temperatures are among the possible causes of foodborne illness, but there is currently no confirmed explanation for this incident.

The presence of prawns, meat or hollandaise sauce on the menu does not mean any of those dishes was responsible. The health investigation is continuing, and the cause of the outbreak has not yet been confirmed.