Supermarket’s sausages put thousands at risk of pig virus

♦ Thousands may have been put at risk of contracting hepatitis E from pork sold at a leading supermarket.

The virus, which can cause liver cirrhosis and neurological damage, could have infected up to 200,000 people in the UK each year from 2014 to 2016, according to a Public Health England (PHE) report.

By tracing habits of those infected, the study found that only “Supermarket X” was significantly associated with hepatitis E. Only pork products from Europe, and not the UK, carry the strain. PHE and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have declined to name the supermarket.

A PHE spokesman said: “We clearly state that the association with the store does not infer any blame.”

However, sources told The Sunday Times that the store was Tesco. When asked by The Daily Telegraph, the supermarket giant said it would not be able to comment on the allegations.

The FSA said they were “reviewing all aspects of hepatitis E”.