The beleaguered salad sector has been hit with another bombshell, with Morrisons recalling bags of ready-to-eat salad due to a salmonella scare.
Glass contamination at Intercrop in Spain two weeks ago threw the industry into turmoil. And Florette found low levels of salmonella in bags of Lambs Lettuce it withdrew from sale last week. These incidents, alongside inclement weather conditions, have caused the salad category a huge headache.
Now Morrisons has pulled 280g bags of own-brand mixed leafy salad with red chard, supplied by Natures Way Foods (NWF), from its shelves and is asking customers to return them to stores.
The possibility that the bags were contaminated with salmonella was picked up by routine tests by NWF, a Morrisons spokeswoman said.
A full investigation has been launched. All bags with an April 29 use-by date are subject to the recall. Morrisons is using in-store signage to warn customers.
The Food Standards Agency said in a statement that the salad is of UK origin. An FSA spokesman warned: "Any food with the possible threat of salmonella is a health risk and we would advise consumers not to eat it. It can pose a threat of food poisoning, especially in the vulnerable."
