Staph food poisoning is caused by toxins made by the bacteria, MDH said. Foods that are not cooked after handling, or are cooked thoroughly, can cause illness if contaminated with Staph. While cooking can kill Staph, it does not destroy the toxin in the food. Staph food poisoning is not transmitted from person to person.
MDH said it collected and tested clinical specimens from people who were ill, as well as from remnants of a food item consumed by those individuals.
No ill individuals were hospitalized, and none of the implicated food was distributed beyond employees at the facility.