Stink Continues As Gelato Tests Are Inconclusive
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday November 7, 2008
TESTS on whether the faeces in gelato served at Coogee Bay Hotel were from an animal or a human have come back inconclusive, the food safety watchdog says.
A spokesman for the NSW Food Authority said further tests would be conducted on a second sample of the ice-cream that was served to the Whyte family. Initial tests by the authority last week confirmed the complimentary gelato served to the family on October 5 had contained faecal matter. But more detailed DNA testing was needed to determine if the matter came from an animal or human, and their sex. "Our lab wasn't able to get any good quality DNA material from the sample supplied by the Whytes," a spokesman for the authority, Alan Valvasori, said.The sample tested had been a "tiny smear on a tissue paper", he said. "What we have to do now is get a second sample that the Whytes had independently tested [by the National Measurement Institute] in Melbourne."The authority had yet to obtain the second sample, he said. "It's going to be at least another week before we find out the results."He said police and investigators were waiting on results from the tests before taking steps.The hotel has repeatedly denied the allegations and has refused to apologise to the Whyte family since the story emerged a week and a half ago.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald
