Shoppers issued ‘do not eat’ warning for 45 supermarket items over E. coli fears

Dozens of ready-to-eat products are being pulled from supermarket shelves as health officials continue work to identify the cause of an ongoing E. coli outbreak.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a recall alert for a total of 45 sandwich, wrap and salad items from Greencore Group because of possible contamination with the harmful bacteria. The list includes popular products sold at major supermarkets and retailers, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi, the Co-op, Boots and Amazon.

The FSA confirmed that E.coli has not been detected in the recalled products, but that they are being recalled as a precautionary measure. Anyone who has purchased them is urged not to eat them, and instead return them to the store from where they were bought to receive a full refund.

Earlier this month, health officials confirmed that at least 37 people had been admitted to hospital following a UK-wide E. coli outbreak, which it believed to be linked to food. At the time, the agency said it believed the outbreak, which mostly affected young adults with 211 associated cases as of June 11, was linked to a nationally distributed food item or multiple food items.

Darren Whitby, head of incidents at the Food Standards Agency, said: “Sandwich manufacturers are taking a precautionary measure to recall various sandwiches wraps and salads in response to findings from investigations by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who are working to identify the cause of an ongoing outbreak caused by shiga toxin-producing E.coli (Stec).”

Greencore Group said in a statement: “As a precautionary measure, we have voluntarily recalled a number of sandwiches and wraps due to a potential food safety risk. Greencore adheres to the highest standards of food safety, and we are working closely with the Food Standards Agency and our suppliers to better understand the possible source of any potential issue.”

Full list of recalled products

Aldi

• Aldi Chicken Fajita Triple Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16

Amazon

• Amazon BLT Sandwich – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Amazon Chicken Salad Sandwich – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Amazon Ploughman’s Sandwich – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Amazon Prawn Layered Salad – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Amazon Chicken & Bacon Layered Salad – Use-by dates up to and including June 16

Asda

• Asda Vegan No Chicken Caesar Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 15
• Asda Tuna Crunch Sub Roll – Use-by dates up to and including June 15
• Asda Southern Fried Chicken Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 15
• Asda Southern Fried Chicken Triple Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 15
• Asda Smoky Beans and Cheddar Cheese Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 15
• Asda Chicken Salad (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 15
• Asda Chicken and Bacon Club (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 15
• Asda Brie, Bacon and Chilli Chutney (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 15
• Asda BLT (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16

Boots

• Boots BBQ Chicken wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots BLT (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Cheddar Cheese Ploughman’s (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Chicken and Bacon Caesar Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Chicken Salad (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Chicken Triple (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Delicious Ham and Cheese Ploughman’s (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Halloumi and Greek Style Salad wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Ham and Egg Club (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Mixed Triple (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Southern Fried Chicken Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Spicy Bean and Cheese Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Vegan No Chicken Salad (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Vegan No Duck and Hoisin Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Boots Veggie Triple (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16

Co-op

• Co-op Vegan Gro Onion Bhaji (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Co-op Mexican Style Bean and Cheese Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Co-op Ham, Cheese and Pickle (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Co-op Ham and Cheese Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Co-op Chicken and Bacon Caesar Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 17
• Co-op Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16

Morrisons

• Morrisons Chicken Salad (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Morrisons Chicken Salad PFS (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Morrisons Gluten Free Chicken Salad (Sandwich) Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Morrisons Gluten Free Sandwich Platter – Use-by dates up to and including June 16

Sainsbury’s

• Sainsbury’s Peri Peri Chicken Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Sainsbury’s BBQ Pulled Pork and Red Leicester (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Sainsbury’s Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Focaccia (Sandwich) – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Sainsbury’s Greek Style Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16
• Sainsbury’s Jerk Halloumi Wrap – Use-by dates up to and including June 16

E. coli symptoms

As many of these sandwiches, wraps and salads are items that shoppers might pick up on the go and eat that same day, you may recognise that you have already eaten one of the products listed above. If this is the case, keep an eye out for the symptoms of food poisoning, which are listed by the NHS as follows:

• Feeling sick (nausea)
• Diarrhoea
• Being sick (vomiting)
• Stomach cramps
• A high temperature of 38C or above
• Feeling generally unwell – such as feeling tired or having aches and chills.

Food poisoning can be caused by a range of bacteria, including E. coli, and symptoms usually start within a few days of eating the food that caused the infection. It is rarely serious and usually gets better within a week, the NHS advises, and it can usually be treated at home with lots of fluids to avoid dehydration.

NHS Inform advises requesting an urgent GP appointment for seeking help from 111 if you or your child have bloody diarrhoea. In addition, the health service says you should speak to your GP if you or your child has diarrhoea and:

• It’s particularly frequent or severe
• It lasts for more than 7 days
• A severe or continuous stomach ache
• Weight loss
• Have passed a large amount of very watery diarrhoea
• Have signs of dehydration – including drowsiness, peeing less than usual, and feeling lightheaded or dizzy.