SORI-AL has responded after the National Food Authority (AKU) completed inspections into two episodes of reported health concerns among students at the Security Academy and allowed the catering company to continue operating normally.
In a public statement, the company said it had been accused for more than two months of causing “mass food poisoning,” although, according to the company, the findings of official inspections did not establish any link between the food it prepared and the students’ health condition.
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“Two months of accusations. One completely different official conclusion,” SORI-AL stated, stressing that no institution confirmed the claim of mass food poisoning after all inspection procedures had been completed.
The company says it cooperated fully with every state institution throughout this period. According to SORI-AL, its premises were opened for inspections and repeat inspections, the requested documentation and products were provided to the authorities, and it awaited the outcome of the checks without conducting media trials or prejudging the work of institutions.
Referring to official documents, SORI-AL said the University Hospital Centre “Mother Teresa” (QSUT) did not diagnose any patient with food poisoning. The company added that there is no medical report linking the health condition of those who sought medical assistance to the consumption of food prepared by it.
Food samples taken during official inspections and analysed by the Institute of Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine (ISUV) also tested negative, according to the statement. The same result was also confirmed by analyses conducted at an accredited private laboratory.
SORI-AL said the State Health Inspectorate found no legal violations, while the Institute of Public Health confirmed that it had not conducted laboratory analyses of the food. Meanwhile, AKU closed the inspection procedure without finding any violations and authorised the company to continue its normal operations.
The statement also presents clinical data on the students who went to QSUT, which, according to the company, offer a different picture from the perception created in public opinion.
During the first episode, 45 people went to QSUT. Of these, 43 were discharged within one to four hours, while only two remained for longer monitoring. In the second episode, 67 people sought treatment, of whom 66 were discharged within 30 minutes to a few hours, while only one person remained hospitalised for several days.
“These are official medical facts, not interpretations,” SORI-AL stressed. The company argues that protecting a business’s name should not be considered a secondary issue, especially when public opinion was shaped before authorities completed their inspections.
According to the company, despite the results of the official procedures, the reputational damage has already occurred and cannot be undone merely through an official report or an administrative notice.
SORI-AL also mentioned recent reactions by state institutions against damage to business reputations caused by false comments and reviews on social media, where it was stressed that protecting businesses is a matter of public interest.
The company said it supports this standard, but asks who is accountable for the damage when a business’s reputation is harmed by communications or actions of public institutions themselves, which ultimately are not supported by the official documents of the procedures they conducted.
In closing its statement, SORI-AL stressed that in a state governed by the rule of law, the truth should receive the same public attention as the accusations did.
