Over 700 Airbus Atlantic staff sick after Christmas dinner, cause still unclear

Over 700 Airbus Atlantic staff in France reportedly fell ill following the company's Christmas dinner and the health authorities are still to ascertain the reason for the mass food poisoning, reports said on Sunday.

The affected, at the dinner on December 14, included staff from the aviation manufacturer major's site in western France and symptoms included vomiting and diarrhoea, the BBC reported the Agence Regionale de Sante (ARS) as saying.

The ARS did not provide details about exactly what food might have made people ill at the dinner but it did say on Friday that diners showed "clinical signs of vomiting or diarrhoea".

The festive feast was held at a restaurant in Montoir-de-Bretagne,on December 14 and employees got sick around 24 to 48 hours after the dinner. One affected employee told a French newspaper that the illness was very painful.

"I had colic and headaches like I’d never had before. It was worse than giving birth," the employee said.

The dinner included lobster, scallops, gone gars, and tournedos, which included desserts of hazelnut chocolate mousse and ice-cream logs, as per media reports.

Airbus told the BBC, however, that only "around 100" were taken ill.

In a statement, it said it was co-operating with the ARS "to identify the cause of the illness and ensure this cannot happen again in the future".