A widespread outbreak of salmonella poisoning is being pinned on lettuce by health bosses.
The Health Protection Agency said it has seen more than 350 cases of Salmonella Newport reported, compared with an average of 150 each year.
At the moment, the agency said it had identified lettuce from catering, fast food and take-away premises as the likely cause.
Separate outbreaks have been reported in North East Lincolnshire, Birmingham and the West Midlands, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
Dr Bob Adak, who is leading the HPA team, said: “Investigations into the cause of this outbreak have been carried out on both a local and national level.
“In some of the local investigations, the results suggest that consumption of lettuce from various catering, fast food and take-away premises are the likely main cause.”
He said the HPA had been working closely with the Food Standards Agency to look at the supply chain of the salad products to find out where they became contaminated.
“It is possible that the foods responsible for these outbreaks have now been used up, however it is important to investigate where they became contaminated, to establish whether the outbreak is ongoing, and to prevent this happening again in the future,” he added.
Meanwhile the FSA is urging consumers to minimise risks by following good food hygiene practices.
Judith Hilton, head of microbiological safety, said: “These include thorough washing and preparing of lettuce away from other foods to avoid cross contamination and storing it in the fridge.”
Salmonella Newport causes the same symptoms as other strains, including diarrhoea, vomiting and a fever. For most, infection is unpleasant rather than dangerous and symptoms can last for several days.
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