What Is Fried Rice Syndrome? Woman Seeking $1M Damages From Chinese Buffet

A Texas woman is suing a Chinese buffet for $1 million in damages after she allegedly fell sick with “fried rice syndrome,” caused by Bacillus cereus bacteria. Germaine Mobley, 62, said she went to Asian King Buffet in Waxahachie for a lunch in 2016 and after eating the food landed in an intensive care unit.

In the lawsuit filed against the restaurant, Mobley claimed that she ordered fried rice but after eating her food she started vomiting, and by the next morning she was having trouble breathing.

“Everything tasted fine,” Mobley told news station WFMY, adding that she was hospitalized the following day after her health continued to deteriorate. Mobley said she was in the ICU for eight days, where she was put on a ventilator.

“'Fried rice syndrome' sounds like a joke, but it’s very serious,” Mobley’s attorney Kathryn Knotts told the Dallas News. “They (Asian King) didn’t maintain the food at the proper temperature or kept it out for a long period of time.”

However, Asian King Buffet’s owner denied Mobley’s allegations saying the lawsuit does not provide sufficient proof of the claims, and that the restaurant's food did not make the woman sick.

The bacteria that cause fried rice syndrome, Bacillus cereus, are commonly found in foods that are kept at room temperature. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and cramps. Symptoms generally don't last more than a day or two. Bacillus cereus or B. cereus is a type of bacteria that produce toxins. A variety of foods, particularly rice and leftovers, and other prepared foods that have sat out too long at room temperature can develop the bacteria.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information suggests that in order to prevent Bacillus cereus, "rice should be boiled in smaller quantities on several occasions during the day, thereby reducing the storage time before frying. After boiling the rice should either be kept hot (> 63° C.) or cooled quickly and transferred to a refrigerator within two hours of cooking. Boiled or fried rice must not be stored under warm conditions especially in the range 15-50° C."