A wholesale distributor is at the centre of an investigation into an outbreak of E.coli that has been linked with mixed salad leaves, FPJ understands.
All salad products sold by the wholesaler in question have been withdrawn, but the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said there is “no evidence to justify a product recall of retail products”, despite the 109 confirmed cases of E.coli 0157 across the UK.
An initial investigation centred on the Bristol and Bath region and until last weekend all cases were isolated to this area, a statement from the British Leafy Salads Association (BLSA) said. Further cases have subsequently been identified in other parts of England and in Wales, Scotland and the Channel Islands, although the majority remain in the south west England.
“The BLSA understands that the investigation is centered on a single wholesale distributer of salad products and that all salad products sold by that distributer have been withdrawn from sale. Clinical trials are continuing to identify the specific source of infection,” the BLSA said.
Salad suppliers across the UK have been quick to assess their own supply chains. One source in the industry told FPJ the company had been monitoring the situation all week. “We understand the outbreak came from a local wholesaler, who in turn may have been buying off a small grower. It’s unclear where the contamination took place,” the source said.
Florette MD Doug Robertson confirmed the company is not affected. “We would like to assure customers that our salads have not been affected by the recent E. coli outbreak,” he said.
“We employ strict hygiene measures across all of its sites to remove the risk of contamination in addition to gently washing its leaves to ensure that they remain safe to eat.”
Regional director for Total Produce in the South West, Nick Matthews, told FPJ there has been no mention of the outbreak on the market or among the company’s customers. “We had health officials on the market as a routine visit last week, and they did ask about our bagged salad suppliers. But we have heard nothing about it from suppliers or customers,” he said.
Matthews noted that a previous E.coli outbreak that was incorrectly linked to cucumbers had damaged sales in that category.
The BSLA stressed that “leafy salads have an excellent safety record in the UK”. “At a time when the government and health professionals are all urging us to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy balanced diet, salads are a convenient, easy and cost effective way for consumers to help achieve their five a day,” the association said.
