The DC Department of Health (DOH) announced today the reinstatement of operations at the Fig and Olive food establishment in Washington, DC. This follows the food establishment’s closure for six days due to a Salmonella outbreak that to date has caused more than 60 people to become ill, including residents of five states in addition to the District. Ten confirmed cases have been identified in District and VA residents. An additional 150 possible cases are being investigated.

According to DOH, Fig and Olive met the following requirements, which allowed their operations to be restored by DOH

• Provided evidence/invoices of the cleanup and sanitization of the kitchen/premises.
• Verified employee health training, which included signed forms.
• Destroyed current food inventory.
• Corrected all violations cited in recent inspections.
• Provided a Standard Operating Procedure for food handling and preparation.
• Implemented training program to reinforce good retail practices.

Through follow-up inspections, DOH has been able to confirm that Fig and Olive has removed all conditions that may have contributed to the salmonella outbreak. The department will also increase surveillance of the establishment to ensure compliance with food safety regulations and to ultimately protect the health of the city’s residents, workers and visitors.

According to NBC4, The source of the Salmonella has been linked to truffle fries and mushroom croquettes, D.C. Department of Health officials said during the press conference today.

WSUA9 reported that in the September 9th inspection, inspectors cited employees not frequently washing hands, mussels and oysters improperly labeled, cross contamination risk, unclean surfaces, food handlers not frequently changing gloves and no adequate hot water.