46 people were hospitalized with food poisoning in Maryland after eating food cooked by co-workers

Forty-six people were hospitalized in a “foodborne illness outbreak” earlier this week, after sharing a meal at their Maryland workplace, officials said.

Howard County Fire & Rescue said it responded Monday at 3:45 p.m. to the 7700 block of Chesapeake Bay Court in Jessup, about 15 miles southwest of Baltimore, to a report of multiple patients with food poisoning “after an alleged eat the same food.”

These 46, all adults, were examined and taken to different hospitals. All were not critical, said the department.

The workers reportedly became ill about an hour after eating the noodles, according to NBC News affiliate WBAL in Baltimore.

The Howard County Health Department said it is working with the Maryland Department of Health to investigate the cause of the incident, but said it is not believed to be intentional.

“Initial indications indicate that the illness was related to outside food prepared by an employee and distributed to others at the facility,” said the department.

The department is now talking to those affected to learn “specific details about the food in question.”

“At this time, we are not aware of any ongoing illness related to this incident and we believe there is little risk to the general public,” the Department said.

All 46 hospitalized have been discharged.

The Maryland Department of Health reiterated to X that it was “not currently aware of any risk of other illnesses related to this incident.”

The incident happened at NAFCO Wholesale Seafood Distributors, WBAL reported. Stanley Pearlman Enterprises, which is the parent company of NAFCO, told the store that the food that caused the illness did not come from the facility.

“NAFCO operates under the highest health and safety standards in the industry. Our headquarters and facilities are regularly inspected and monitored by the relevant health authorities to ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations,” the company said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com