BOZEMAN — The Gallatin City-County Health Department (GCCHD) said on Wednesday that it is rescinding the closure order for Dave’s Sushi that was issued on April 20, 2023 and has laid out corrective actions the restaurant must satisfy before reopening.
GCCHD stated in a media release that to date, food samples including salmon and morel mushrooms collected from Dave’s have returned negative results for a series of pathogens and toxins.
The health department’s investigation—conducted with support from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Food and Drug Administration—is ongoing. The release said the investigation may not be able to determine a specific pathogen or toxin as the source of the outbreak that affected 50 people.
The deaths of a man and a woman who ate at Dave’s within the timeframe of the outbreak continue to be investigated, and the manner and cause of their deaths still remain pending until autopsy and toxicology results are available, according to GCCHD.
A supplemental study performed by GCCHD and the Centers for Disease Control has compared food items eaten by people who did not become ill within the outbreak’s time frame with the food eaten by those who did become ill. The release said preliminary analysis “strongly suggests” morel mushrooms were the cause of the outbreak.
According to the release, Dave’s Sushi has “removed and discarded all morel mushrooms and other food inventory, and has corrected all violations from the April 18, 2023 inspection.”
GCCHD said there is no longer an imminent health hazard to prevent Dave’s from reopening once the corrective actions defined in a new health order issued Wednesday are complete. The corrective actions include:
- Providing the health department with specific standard operating procedures, including procedures for addressing biological toxins
- Mandatory staff training for all food handlers and management staff
- Providing the names of the staff member(s) who have supervisory and management authority to the Health Department
- Successfully passing required inspections
- Providing a fresh food inventory
The health department said Dave’s can reopen once all required corrective actions are complete.
