Five elderly people have died after eating a foie gras salad at a care home in France.
Four women aged between 76 and 95 and a man aged 76 died on Sunday night within hours of consuming the meal at the home near Toulouse.
In addition, 19 patients fell ill with vomiting and other signs of food poisoning.
The meals they were served have been held for analysis.
The granddaughter of one of the women who died told local newspaper La Depeche du Midi: “I still have the menu in my bag and I know that last night they ate Perigord salad. So what does it mean, maybe it was the foie gras?F
The deaths come as the government prepares a bill on retirement financing for an ageing population of baby boomers that is expected to add nine billion euros to the national health budget by 2030.
