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.

“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.

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Laboratory tests of samples taken from patients confirmed the presence of the Salmonella Enteritidis bacterium. On the other hand, analyses of food samples and swabs taken from the operator’s premises tested negative.

The epidemiological curve showed a rapid increase in cases, peaking on July 10, followed by an immediate decline. According to the data, this indicates an outbreak from a common source with limited exposure over time. The absence of Salmonella in samples tested during the inspection does not rule out the possibility that the infection originated from food contaminated earlier, while epidemiological data show a strong link to this operator.

Meanwhile, the Food and Veterinary Agency has carried out checks and inspections to verify hygiene and sanitary conditions.

Laboratory analyses are still under way. Once they are completed and all evidence collected during the official inspection has been assessed, the Food and Veterinary Agency will prepare a final report and inform the public of the results. If violations of current legislation or risks to public health are identified, administrative and legal measures will be taken immediately against the responsible operators.

In addition to investigations by health institutions, justice authorities are investigating both this case and the poisoning of 80 people in Hani i Elezit. Kosovo Police have interviewed the owner of a restaurant in Hani i Elezit after several people were suspected of being poisoned after consuming food at his business.

According to police, the incident occurred on July 13, while the owner was interviewed yesterday as a suspect.

With the authorization of the prosecutor, a case has been opened for the criminal offense of “Manufacturing and Placing Harmful Food Products on the Market,” and investigations are ongoing.

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For the Indeksonline portal, the spokesperson for the Kosovo Police, Kanun Veseli, announced that by order of the competent prosecutor, a criminal investigation has been opened regarding “Production and circulation of harmful food articles”.

In the framework of efforts to fully clarify the dynamics of the event, Veseli emphasized that law enforcement authorities will question the owners of two local establishments. “Today, at around 13:40, investigators from the station in Han i Elezit notified the prosecutor, and with his authorization, proceedings have begun for the offense ‘Production and circulation of harmful foodstuffs.’ Subsequently, to shed light on all circumstances, the owners of two food outlets in the town will be heard. The police, in close cooperation with the prosecution, are taking every necessary investigative step,” he stated.

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Sources close to the city’s Main Family Medicine Center (QKMF) reported that approximately 80 people presented for medical assistance with symptoms of food poisoning.

The main suspicions fall on products such as pizzas and sandwiches, which are thought to be the source of the incident.

According to the same sources, four patients who exhibited a more severe health condition were sent for specialized treatment at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (QKUK). Fortunately, their condition is currently reported to be stable.

To shed light on the circumstances, a team from the Regional Institute of Public Health has gone to the field. It is learned that inspectors have carried out verifications both at the QKMF premises and at the fast-food outlet suspected as the place where the case began.

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KosovaPress attempted to obtain a statement from the manager of one of the “Sach Pizza” outlets, who responded that he was not authorized to speak and that the company should make the statements.

Official data from the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK) show that 22 of the 72 patients who presented themselves were hospitalized. They reported symptoms such as temperature, fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Based on the collected anamnesis, the first signs appeared just a few hours after they had eaten the suspected food.

The UCCK statement emphasizes that all hospitalized cases have been communicated to the Health Inspectorate and the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo. They have also been registered in the Communicable Disease Surveillance System, in accordance with established protocols.

The KosovaPress team stayed at the Infectious Disease Clinic and spoke with relatives of those affected, who confirmed that the food consumed before the onset of symptoms was a sandwich from “Sach Pizza” sales points.

A mother, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that her son’s condition had seriously worsened after eating a sandwich. According to her, his temperature reached up to 40 degrees Celsius. She added that her son’s condition had improved today compared to yesterday, but it had been extremely severe. The mother emphasized that all the patients she had communicated with had eaten the same type of food at different “Sach” outlets or had ordered it at home. She mentioned that the case is being investigated by the police and prosecution, and that family members are coordinating to take legal action in court.

Another parent, also anonymous, recounted that her daughter had eaten a sandwich at “Sach Pizza” on Thursday and then faced a series of complications. She complained that the ambulance service did not respond to her request to transport her daughter to the hospital, even though she had lost consciousness. The mother said that they took her to the Emergency Room themselves with the help of her husband and other daughters, before she was transferred to the Infectious Disease unit. According to her, her daughter was in a very bad state for three days and was improving slightly today.

A similar story was shared by the fiancé of a patient, who remained anonymous. He said that his partner had eaten a sandwich at the “Sach” point near the airport, and the first symptoms had started on Saturday in the early morning hours. He confirmed that the doctors were doing their best and warned that they would pursue legal action against the company.

Meanwhile, KosovaPress sources indicate that “Sach Pizza” has withdrawn the sandwiches from sale in all its branches, and that authorities have carried out an inspection at the company’s warehouse in Lipjan.

During the day, the media tried to contact the Food and Veterinary Agency, the Ministry of Health, the Clinical and University Hospital Service of Kosovo, and the Inspectorate, but none of these institutions responded to the calls.

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In addition to SORI-AL, which delivers catered food to the Academy, sources say the investigation has also been extended to the AKU institution. Today, the company’s administrator, Alma Tafani, is expected to be questioned. Since the first student poisoning incident, she has been under criminal investigation while remaining at liberty.

Meanwhile, the investigative team is awaiting the results of tests on food samples taken by AKU in order to determine the causes that led to the poisoning of 64 students.

The Tirana Police and Prosecutor’s Office are also continuing their investigation to determine the full causes of this incident, while the case file on the second poisoning incident is expected to be merged into a single case with the first poisoning at the Security Academy, an event that occurred at the beginning of May this year.

The first time this scandal occurred, around 52 students who had consumed food supplied by SORI-AL’s catering service were poisoned. Analysis of the samples taken showed that the pasta was contaminated with Escherichia coli and staphylococcus bacteria. AKU then initially suspended the company’s operations and fined it 1.5 million lek for unsafe food and inappropriate hygiene and sanitary conditions.

However, a few days later, it lifted the suspension on the company’s operations after tests on samples for environmental hygiene and work equipment inside the kitchen facilities of the Security Academy showed results within the permitted hygiene standards.

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In its statement, the company denies responsibility and stresses that attention should be focused on hygiene within the institution. Around 60 cadets from the Security Academy showed symptoms last night such as vomiting, diarrhea, fever and headache, and were later given medical assistance at the hospital, divided into groups.

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According to journalist Xhensila Kodra, last night around 30 trainees at the Security Academy showed symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, fever and headache, while, distributed in groups, they received medical treatment at the hospital.

The case is now being investigated by the Police and AMP.

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