Health authorities have played down fears that the fresh produce industry is being targeted for inspections after watermelon was linked to an outbreak of the Salmonella Newport virus in the UK.
The outbreak, which has infected 35 people, began last December and one person has died from the illness, although they had underlying health complications.
Last September an outbreak of E. coli 0157 was revealed, with 250 people taken ill. Potatoes and leeks were linked as the cause. The two cases have led to fears in the industry that authori- ties are targeting fresh produce.
“Should we now expect a series of announcements blaming produce without definitive proof?” one senior industry figure asked.
However, head of the gastrointestinal diseases department at the Health Protection Agency, Dr Bob Adak, denied there was any proactive targeting of fresh produce.
He said when patients were taken ill they completed surveys on what food and drink they had consumed, from which conclusions about possible sources were drawn.
“Although it’s too soon to say with certainty what the likely cause of infection is, early indications suggest that a number of people became unwell after eating watermelon,” he said.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is also looking into whether there are any other similarities in the diet of those that became ill.
Authorities face a dilemma over whether to name individual products without 100 per cent certainty or risk blaming fresh produce as a whole.
“Some would say it’s essentially too early to make statements,” said Nigel Jenney, chief executive of the FPC. “I would support that to a degree, but just saying that fresh produce is responsible could do more harm.”
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