Product recalls rise to 50 in listeria alert

THOUSANDS of frozen sweetcorn, mixed veg and stir-fry packs were pulled from supermarkets yesterday as the number of products in the listeria recall rose to 50.

Families have been warned not to eat the products as there is a risk they are contaminated with the food poisoning bug.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) yesterday increased the number of products involved from 43 to 50.

The products come from a factory in Hungary which is known to have had a problem with listeria contamination since 2016. The factory, owned by a company called Greenyard, has provided ten product lines to Tesco.

Five more lines are sold by Sainsbury’s, five supplied to Lidl and four to both Waitrose and Aldi.

Frozen vegetables sold under the Ross, Pinguin and Growers Pride ranges are also involved.

New products added to the recall yesterday included frozen stir-fry products sold under the Oriental Express brand.

The FSA has urged customers not to eat the products and to return them for a refund.

Listeria is a particular threat to the elderly, pregnant women, developing babies and infants.

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

There have been 11 officially recorded cases in the UK and two deaths involving people who had other underlying health conditions.

The real number of listeria cases is thought likely to be many times higher. This is because most people who contract listeria poisoning suffer no more than a severe headache, stiff neck and stomach upset and recover without a visit to a GP or any tests to confirm the cause.

Greenyard, which describes itself as the second biggest seller of frozen vegetables and fruit in Europe, said: ‘Greenyard is committed to taking a maximum of precautionary measures. Food safety is Greenyard’s number one priority and Greenyard wants its commitment to food safety to be clear towards its customers and end consumers.’

Experts stress that listeria can be killed with thorough cooking. However, some people eat sweetcorn raw in salads and smoothies.