News & Notes: Panera responds to gastro outbreak accusation

In a statement to The Daily Princetonian, Vice President of Public Relations for Panera Linn Parrish said that following the initial identification of Panera as a potential source, the health department later determined that the Nassau Street location was not linked to the norovirus. She added that while many students who became ill ate at Panera, they also ate at many other local eateries.

Parrish further explained that no Panera employees were ill during the period of the outbreak and that the company did not receive any reports of illness from its customers. The health department did not procure any samples from employees for testing, she added.

The health department temporarily removed five Panera employees from food handling during the department’s investigation. Princeton Health Officer David Henry said a majority of the original 15 students exposed to the virus ate at Panera within the initial three-day period. As early as mid-February, Henry said to the ‘Prince’ that the norovirus originated “in the community,” adding that a local restaurant may be a source.