Stores withdraw poison scare Camembert
CAMEMBERT sold at Waitrose and specialist cheese shops across the country was at the centre of a food poisoning scare last night.
Three types of the soft cheese imported from the same supplier were withdrawn after six children in France fell ill.
It is feared the cheese may be contaminated with the food poisoning bug E.coli O26 which can prove fatal in the very young and the elderly.
The French children, all aged under six, each needed hospital treatment after eating the cheese.
The affected products are Reaux’s Gaslonde Camembert (250g packs) and Camembert de Normandie Th. Reaux ( 250g packs). Reaux’s Gaslonde Camembert, which is normally sold over the cheese counter, is also a health concern.
All batches of the cheeses regardless of use- by dates are being withdrawn.
Apart from Waitrose, some 83 specialist cheese and farm shops have been supplied with the Camembert, including stores in Scotland and Wales.
The cheeses are made in France by Laiterie Fromagerie du Val d’Ay- Etablissement ets Reaux, in Lessay, Normandy.
All have been made with unpasteurised milk, which connoisseurs regard as the best way of making the cheese. However, this means the milk is not heattreated to kill off any bugs, which heightens the risk of food poisoning. A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency said: ‘ Some strains of E.coli O26 may cause severe food poisoning. People should not eat this cheese.’
The suspect cheese was imported by Anthony Rowcliffe & Son Ltd, which has contacted all the retailers that it supplies.
It is also arranging for point- ofsale notices to be put up in shops and is taking out advertisements in national newspapers.
Consumers have been advised to contact the importer for a refund. Waitrose said the cheeses had been withdrawn after ‘unsatisfactory’ microbiological test results at the French dairy responsible for their production.
No other cheeses at the supermarket have been affected. A Waitrose spokesman said: ‘ Waitrose has the highest standards of customer safety and we took action as soon as we were notified of a potential issue by our supplier.’
The E. coli O26 strain is well known to health authorities on the continent, but has not been as common in Britain.
It is one of the most dangerous strains, and has similar levels of toxicity to types which have been known to cause fatal food poisoning in young children and pensioners.