Lidl recalls smoked trout over listeria fears

RETAIL chain Lidl has had to recall two Scottish-produced smoked trout products from its UK Christmas range.

A warning was sent out by the UK Food Standards Agency, which said the products Deluxe Oak Smoked Scottish Loch Trout and Lighthouse Bay Smoked Trout Trimmings may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes (LM).

The supermarket issued a “do not eat” warning due to the potential presence of listeria, which can cause severe health problems.

According to the recall notice issued by Lidl, the affected batch of products are marked with “use by” dates between and including 20 December 2022 and 6 January 2023.

This product recall specifically affects 100g packs of Lidl Deluxe Oak Smoked Scottish Loch Trout, plus 120g packs of Lighthouse Bay Smoked Trout Trimmings. Only products with the use-by dates listed above are part of the recall.

The UK Food Standards Agency said symptoms caused by this organism can be similar to those of the flu and include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick, and diarrhoea.

However, in rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications, such as meningitis.

Some people are more vulnerable to listeria infections, including those over 65 years of age, pregnant women and their unborn babies, along with babies less than one month old and people with weakened immune systems.

Lidl said that if anyone had bought these products, they should not eat them and should return them to the store for a full refund, with or without a receipt.

The scare follows recent listeria scares over smoked salmon in Norway, where the Food Safety Authority issued an alert, and France, where the retailer LeClerc had to withdraw products.