‘No evidence’ sandwich caused woman’s death - Latest Herald Sun article

‘No evidence’ sandwich caused woman’s death

A document has revealed there is “no evidence” a fatal listeria outbreak was linked to a sandwich prepared by iCook Foods.

Mark Buttler and  Anthony Dowsley

June 11, 2021 - 8:18PM

The Boss of iCook, Ian Cook, in the preparation room at the business in Dandenong South. Picture: Alex Coppel.

A legal letter has cast further doubt on whether a woman’s listeria death was caused by a sandwich prepared by iCook Foods.

Health authorities blamed iCook for the 86-year-old’s woman’s death and closed the Dandenong South company, costing 41 people their jobs.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton ordered it be shut after finding an iCook sandwich served to the woman at Knox Private Hospital in February, 2019, caused the tragedy.

iCook’s operator, Ian Cook, two months later wrote to the hospital’s operator, Healthscope, as part of a dispute over payment.

Legal firm Piper Alderman, acting for Healthscope, replied that there was doubt about the contaminated sandwich scenario.

“We are instructed that there is no evidence of what food products the patient ate at our client’s facility, if any,” Piper Alderman wrote.

“It is also unclear at what location the patient may have consumed any food products which contained listeria.”

The Department of Health and Human Services has blocked out Freedom of Information material which iCook says will prove the woman did not eat one of its sandwiches.

Mr Cook had received a copy of a heavily redacted email prepared by Knox health official Ray Christie which, he says, would show Mr Christie reported to the Department that the woman had not consumed a sandwich before her death.

Mr Cook told the Saturday Herald Sun DHHS received the Christie report at 10.50am on February 22.

He said three hours later Mr Sutton held a press conference announcing the closure of iCook.

In it, Mr Sutton claimed potentially thousands of lives could be at risk, even though iCook products were not available to the broader public.

A slug had days earlier been found during an inspection of a kitchen area at iCook.

Mr Cook claims it was planted by the council environmental health officer who carried out the examination as part of a malicious attempt to close the firm.

His persistent battle to clear the company has resulted in a review of an initial investigation into those allegations.

The Herald Sun revealed in April that no one was arrested or interviewed by police about the slug-plant claims.