UK manufacturers recall food products over E.coli risk

The UK’s largest sandwich maker Greencore and other manufacturers have recalled a variety of snacks, salads and wraps after health authorities detected possible links to a fast-spreading E.coli outbreak.

A spate of E.coli began in the UK last month with the number of cases rising to 211 as of June 11. Public health authorities have linked the breakout to “a small number of salad leaf products”.

On Friday, the Food Standards Agency said manufacturers including Greencore Group and Samworth Brothers had recalled food items as a “precautionary step”.

Retailers Aldi, Amazon, Asda, Boots, Co-op, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s all stock the recalled products, which include chicken salad sandwiches and hoisin duck wraps, according to notices issued by the FSA.

The recent outbreak of the bacteria, which can cause severe, bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever, has led to 67 people being admitted to hospital in recent weeks, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

The outbreak had been concentrated in England, which had registered 147 cases, compared with 35 in Scotland, 27 in Wales and 2 in Northern Ireland, the government health body said.

The first incidents of E.coli were reported on May 25, with the number of cases nearly doubling between June 4-11, from 113 to 211.

Trish Mannes, incident director at UKHSA, said people “who are unwell, have eaten salad leaves recently and are concerned about any symptoms” should follow NHS guidance to prevent the disease from spreading.

Greencore said it had recalled a number of sandwiches and wraps as a “precautionary measure” due to a potential food safety risk.

“Greencore adheres to the highest standards of food safety, and we are working closely with the Food Standards Agency and our suppliers to better understand the possible source of any potential issue,” the company said.

Samworth Brothers, which supplies Tesco, said the FSA had advised the supplier of a salad ingredient, which the company uses, that it should undertake a product withdrawal and recall. It added that “food chain investigations” were being carried out but these had not yet reached any conclusions.

“A small number of sandwich and wrap lines that are made at our Manton Wood site are being recalled as a precautionary measure to ensure a high level of health protection for consumers,” it said.

Andrew Opie at the British Retail Consortium, which represents the sector, said that following investigations by the FSA and the UKHSA, retailers were taking “swift action” to prevent the items from being sold as a precaution.

Notices will be going up in shops to tell shoppers what to do if they bought the products. They could also be returned for a full refund, the FSA said.