Dozens of attendees at the Truck Festival, an indie music event in Oxfordshire, have reported severe stomach upsets, with investigations focusing on a food stall suspected of being the source of a food poisoning outbreak. Environmental health officials have launched an investigation into the incident that affected festival-goers last weekend.
The sold-out four-day festival, held at Hill Farm in Steventon, near Abingdon, hosted nearly 30,000 people and featured headlining acts like The Maccabees, Two Door Cinema Club, and The Wombats. Tickets for the event cost £320.
Numerous complaints of severe stomach ache emerged during the festival, with many attendees identifying the 'Yorky' fast food stall as a common factor. The stall, which advertised 'Traditional Yorkshire roast wraps with trimmings,' including options of roast pork, chicken, or sausage served in a giant Yorkshire pudding with mash, chips, stuffing, and gravy, was closed down on Sunday morning by festival organizers following anecdotal reports.
One festival-goer reported being so ill that they were taken to the A&E department at John Radcliffe Hospital, where medical staff indicated suspected food poisoning. Social media posts from attendees described experiencing severe illness, with some questioning how campers managed given the sanitary conditions.
A spokesperson for Truck Festival stated that their on-site medical team received reports of similar symptoms on Sunday morning. The festival's Health and Safety team identified a third-party food vendor as the suspected source and removed it from operation within 90 minutes of the first report. The festival reported its findings to the local Environmental Health Officer the same day and is cooperating with their ongoing investigation.
Attendees consumed a variety of items from the stall, including pork, mushy peas, and mash potato, but it remains unclear which specific items may have been contaminated. One attendee claimed to have alerted stall staff that the chicken in their meal was not properly cooked, though it was not confirmed if this individual became ill.
The Yorky stall is understood to be operated by Event Mobile Catering, a company that provides food services at various outdoor events and venues, including Glastonbury, Download, and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The company has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Symptoms of food poisoning can include nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever. The NHS advises that food poisoning can result from contaminated food due to improper cooking, storage, handling by an ill person, or consuming food past its expiration date.