KILLER VEG TERROR

Bug-alert stores clear freezers

SUPERMARKETS have recalled more than 50 frozen food products in a killer bacteria alert.

Bags of vegetables were cleared from store freezer cabinets amid fears they could be contaminated with listeria.

The scare began after frozen sweetcorn was linked to a series of deaths across Europe.

FIFTY frozen foods have been recalled by supermarket bosses over fears of killer bacteria.

Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Iceland, Lidl and Aldi have asked customers to return bags of frozen veg after a listeria outbreak.

The bug can be lethal for vulnerable people such as the elderly, babies and pregnant women.

Bags of carrots, sweetcorn, broccoli and veg mixes could be at risk.

Contaminated sweetcorn has been linked to 47 cases of illness across Europe, including nine deaths.

There are 11 known cases in the UK with fears the true figure is higher.

There have been two UK deaths in which the victims had underlying health conditions.

Anx Patel, founder of food tech firm GoKart, said: “Given the number of people that regularly buy frozen products like those being recalled, it is easy to see why so many people are concerned.”

A food plant in Hungary operated by Belgian firm Greenyard is believed to be the source of the bug.

Greenyard bosses said: “The recall of these products does not imply that they are contaminated.”