Nassau Inn, a New Jersey hotel is now under investigation after some customers who ate at the Thanksgiving buffet became sick. The Princeton Health Department is now conducting series of examination in the hotel's food handling practices.
Apparently, at least 12 people from three different families reported illness after eating at the Thanksgiving buffet at the Nassau Inn. The Princeton Health Department received calls from various people over the weekend to report the incident.
"I'd hate to pin it on one specific place. We're still gathering information from individuals so we have a better picture of what happened," Princeton health officer Jeffrey Grosser said. "If there's something glaring, we want to make sure we stop it before other people are affected."
Some people who ate at the hotel on Thanksgiving Day reported gastrointestinal problems. Beth Hopkins from Robbinsville went to the Nassau Inn to celebrate Thanksgiving with her 15 family members about 4 p.m. on Thursday.
Nassau Inn served turkey and chicken dishes, stuffing, mashed potatoes and salad, and a ham carving station during the buffet. However, Hopkins reported that her son and two daughters became "violently ill" while her husband woke up sick on Saturday morning.
Hopkins added that her two nieces who went with them at Nassau Inn for the Thanksgiving buffet had became sick on Friday night. All the affected people experienced episodes of vomiting and diarrhea.
Aside from the Hopkins, one family from Robinsville also reported the same illness where three members of her family became sick. Another family who ate at the hotel on their 2 p.m. buffet sitting had three of their family members became sick.
Grosser said that it may be a probable case of noroviruses that are prevalent at this time of the year. However, laboratory results must confirm that it is really the cause.
Norovirus causes vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps. It is also one of the major causes of food-borne illnesses every year. Norovirus causes inflamed stomach and large intestine leading to gastroenteritis. It can also be called as "food poisoning," Web MD reports.
There were no reported cases of fatalities from the illness reported. All are recovering after they experienced sudden vomiting and diarrhea. Meanwhile, the Princeton Health Department is continuously examining the staff at Nassau Inn on their storage, preparation, heating and cleaning processes.
