Cheese From Local Schools Blamed For 300 Cases of Food Poisoning in France

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Ah, French cheese. We’d usually yearn for a hunk of it—at our desks, during lunch, as an afternoon snack, whenever, wherever. But right now, we’ll pass.

That's because the usually delicious stuff is currently behind a mass food poisoning outbreak at schools in Normandy. After a nearly unbelievable 300 children from 54 different schools became sick in Rouen beginning April 27, authorities investigated...and concluded that nothing other than too-old cheese served at the children’s local schools was the cause.

Yikes.

Alas, the cheese’s exact origin hasn't been determined, though it has been identified as a soft variety from one of the local producers known as neufchatel. After 1,000 parents in the region were surveyed, it was discovered that there was a “strong association” between children who consumed it and those who experienced digestive issues. Those who had eaten the cheese subsequently experienced every possible unpleasant symptom in the book, ranging from headaches to stomach aches and vomiting.

As reported by The Independent, one concerned parent told local media that the incident was so alarming, she was currently forbidding her children from partaking in the school’s meals, saying, “I’d prefer to take them to a fast food place.”

Well, all of this is rather upsetting. Let’s cleanse our palate with some happier cheese news: Recently, Scottie's Pizza Parlor in Oregon created the Centouno Formaggio, a record-breaking pizza with made with a whopping 101 cheeses. As part of Portland Pizza Week, the store decided to make not only local but national news as well, and sold slices for just $2. The cheeses included everything from Asiago to Black Betty Gouda.

Phew. That’s better.