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Ammon News -

Samples taken from two restaurants in the governorates of Jerash and Mafraq tested positive for Campylobacter and Salmonella in preliminary laboratory testing, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) announced Wednesday.

Around twenty people visited emergency rooms on Tuesday presenting with food poisoning symptoms.

Samples of both cooked and raw chicken tested positive for Campylobacter and Salmonella, indicating that the restaurant was not following proper hygiene protocols, JFDA Director-General Nizar Mheidat said in a statement.

Salmonella was found in both the mayonnaise and the hot sauce that was sold to customers, according to laboratory tests.

Mheidat added that inspectors found that the restaurants' staff had not been practicing safe food handling procedures or had sourced raw materials from unsafe sources.

"The meals were made quickly, not long enough to allow the chicken to fully ripen and kill any bacteria that might have been present in the consumer's meal. It was discovered that the bacteria-carrying material had contaminated other foods, including garlic and hot sauce," the JFDA director further explained.

The restaurant, all of its branches, and its main back house will remain shut down pending investigations.