Catering firm in Manisa soldier food poisoning case was involved in similar case in 2016

The catering firm, whose contract with a military barrack was recently cancelled after a mass food poisoning incident in the western Turkish province of Manisa, was also accused of another poisoning incident from 2016 which took place at the Finance Ministry.

Rota Yemekçilik has come under focus after 731 soldiers in the Manisa First Infantry Training Brigade Command were hospitalized late on June 17 after being affected by food poisoning. This was reported to be the second such an incident at the same military barrack after more than 1,000 soldiers were affected by a similar infection on May 23, resulting in the death of one soldier.

The same firm had won a tender to provide food services to Finance Ministry personnel in the capital Ankara between Oct. 5 and Dec. 31, 2016. But the ministry cancelled the contract with the firm in the same month after up to 20 of its personnel were poisoned in October. 

The company's representatives told daily Hürriyet that the issue "had been taken to the judiciary."

Meanwhile, speaking at a fast-breaking iftar meal on June 19, Manisa Chief Prosecutor Akif Celalettin Şimşek said that although the current number of detentions stood at 24 there could be more detentions regarding the incident in the coming days.

"Our interrogations include everyone involved, from those serving in the kitchen to the food engineers, from cooks to those serving and those dispatching of the [food]. Right now the number of suspects is 24. Following the investigations, there could be more detentions, especially in Ankara [where Rota Yemekçilik is based]. We have formed a special team at the police station and two prosecutors in the court will look into this investigation," Şimşek said.