An Illinois high school football team was forced to postpone their homecoming game, and a catering business has been shut down, after dozens of players, coaches and parents were sickened by a team dinner hosted at their school cafeteria one day before they were set to play.
The dinner took place on Sept. 24 with 75 of the Rock Island High School’s football players, coaches and parents in attendance, according to the city of Rock Island and the Rock Island County Health Department. The meal was catered by a home business called Sunshine and Spice, out of Moline, Illinois, which served fajita chicken, seasoned taco beef, cheese, flour taco shells, cheesy pepper beans, cilantro corn rice, pico de gallo and salsa, the health department said.
At least 45 of the 75 people who ate dinner at the event began vomiting and experiencing diarrhea within hours of the meal, city officials said.
A trainer for the football team contacted a city inspector the next day to report that 23 players, five coaches and three parents “began exhibiting symptoms of foodborne illness by 11 p.m. the night of the dinner.” No one was hospitalized and the health department said symptoms lasted roughly 24 hours.
Still, in wake of the outbreak, health officials said the school should postpone their game.
And the school ended up moving their game to Saturday until the players and coaches were symptom-free for 24 hours.
“Scholar athlete well-being is our top priority,” the Rock Island-Milan District 41 wrote on social media. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are rescheduling our Homecoming game. Several athletes, coaches, and family members were impacted by an unexpected illness last evening. We are working closely with our healthcare partners, including the Rock Island County Health Department, to ensure the well-being of our scholar athletes.”
The city’s inspector later discovered the catering business behind the team meal was not licensed or food-safety certified.
“The business was ordered to cease operations and given options to get properly licensed,” the health department said.
The owner told inspectors he purchased the food and ingredients from a Walmart in Moline, Spotted Apron in Geneseo and farmers markets in Davenport and Coal Valley.
“Upon being notified of this probable foodborne illness outbreak, the City of Rock Island and the Rock Island County Health Department acted immediately by making phone calls and gathering as much information as possible to share with the Illinois Department of Public Health,” Rock Island City Health Inspector Andy Swartz said in a statement. “This investigation is still ongoing. All leftover food from this incident has been seized by the City and the Health Department.”
The exact cause of the outbreak remains unclear as health officials continue to investigate.
Authorities urged residents to ensure any hired food vendors are licensed and certified.
Dining and Cooking