The jury during the Masterchef programme recorded in Valencia. RTVE

MasterChef challenge in Spain rocked by mass food poisoning allegation

One diner revealed that out of 70 people who took part in the outdoor event in Valencia more than half became ill afterwards

T. Villena

Valencia

Tuesday, 11 April 2023 | Updated 12/04/2023 17:31h.

Allegations of mass food poisoning have rocked the Spanish television series MasterChef 11 after a guest who appeared on Monday’s episode revealed they felt ill after a meal.

The woman took to Twitter to reveal the outcome, claiming in her post that "out of 70 people, more than half" ended up with food poisoning.

In a thread of four messages which can no longer be seen publicly after she made her account private, the diner shared a photo with four users, recounting her experience after the meal; "All with gastroenteritis. The next night I had to go to A&E to have Primperan injected in my bum to stop vomiting. I lost 5 kilos in three days," explained Irene.

The RTVE show travelled to Valencia to film outside the Oceanogràfic, where contestants cooked a menu prepared by chef Rakel Cernicharo. The episode was broadcast on 10 April.

After cooking each of the dishes, designed as a tribute to the marine world, a total of 120 diners sat down at the table to taste the creations of the MasterChef 11 contestants. All of them, workers at the aquarium, tasted the dishes surrounded by thousands of fish.

The Oceanogràfic worker continued to vent her anger on Twitter; "My company informed MasterChef of what had happened. The following days we couldn't go to work. Public Health officials called us to investigate what had happened, but nothing came of it. I am writing this here because they haven't even had the decency to write to us to apologise,” she said in her now protected tweets.

Then the diner at L'Oceanogràfic fired a tweet directly at the programme; "Thank you MasterChef for the worst gastronomic experience I've ever had in my life. While we're at it, I encourage you to do a little more research into MasterChef's relationship with intensive livestock farming.”

Shine Iberia, producer of the programme, responded to the controversy in a statement; "From MasterChef we are very sorry for the indisposition expressed by some of the diners who attended the recording of our episode in Valencia, with whom we were in contact at all times through the Oceanogràfic, as they were company staff.

"This is an absolutely exceptional case in these 11 years of MasterChef in Spain, a programme in which guaranteeing the food care of the people taking part is an absolute priority.”