One person has died in the UK amid the current E. coli scare linked to lettuce, the country’s health security agency has confirmed.
The individual died within 28 days of infection with the E. coli STEC O145 strain, the UK Health Security Agency reported yesterday (27 June).
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Another death was also confirmed after being infected with the strain but the UKHSA said only “one of these deaths is likely linked to their STEC infection”. It added that both individuals, who died in May, had underlying medical conditions.
As of 25 June, there have been a total of 275 confirmed cases in the UK, with case reporting rates “declining”, the UKHSA said. However, it added: “We expect to see more cases linked to this outbreak as further samples are referred to us from NHS laboratories and whole genome sequencing is conducted.”
Darren Whitby, head of incidents at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), said: “Earlier this month, we confirmed that several sandwich manufacturers had taken precautionary action to withdraw and recall various sandwiches, wraps, subs and rolls after food chain and epidemiological links enabled us to narrow down a wide range of foods to a type of lettuce used in sandwich products as the likely cause of the outbreak.
“This remains a complex investigation and we continue to work with the relevant businesses and the local authorities to ensure necessary steps are being taken to protect consumers. Although we are confident in the likely source of the outbreak being linked to lettuce, work continues to confirm this and identify the root cause of the outbreak with the growers, suppliers and manufacturers so that actions can be taken to prevent a re-occurrence.”
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By GlobalDataPlant-based foods supplier This became the third company to announce a product recall against the backdrop of the E. coli outbreak in the UK earlier this month.
At the time, the FSA said This had not detected E. coli in the product but had said it was being recalled “as a precaution in case products contain any ingredients contaminated with E. coli”.
This followed Greencore and Samworth Brothers in recalling sandwiches and other food-to-go products after the STEC O145 outbreak.
The recalls by Greencore and Samworth covered sandwiches, wraps and salads sold under the private labels of the UK’s largest grocers, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons.
Greencore described the move as “a precautionary measure” and added: “We have voluntarily recalled a number of sandwiches and wraps due to a potential food safety risk.”
Privately-owned Samworth underlined E. coli had not been detected in the products the company recalled.
