E. coli outbreak
Leigh Day’s food safety team are investigating potential claims on behalf of consumers who have been affected by recent national-scale recalls of food products sold in major supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi, Morrisons, Co-op and Boots.
On 14 June 2024, two companies – Greencore Group and Samworth Brothers Manton Wood – instigated national recalls of dozens of pre-packaged sandwiches and wraps due to fears of contamination with E. coli.
Food Alerts issued by the Food Standards Agency confirmed that 60 separate products have been recalled because of possible contamination with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Click here to view the list of recalled products.
What is E. coli?
Escherichia coli is a species of bacteria. Most E. coli strains occur naturally in our intestines and are a normal part of our gut flora. Some strains however are toxic and can cause food poisoning, such as the Stec strain suspected to be the cause of this recent outbreak.
The UK Health Security Agency is aware of over 200 cases thought to be linked to a single outbreak of STEC 0145. The wide geographic spread of cases suggests a link to food products which have been distributed nationally. Worryingly, almost half of the cases of which UKHSA is aware have resulted in hospitalisation.
STEC infections can cause the sort of symptoms we usually associate with food poisoning such as diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and fever. In some cases STEC can cause bloody diarrhoea, which indicates a severe infection and requires urgent medical attention.
As with other food poisoning pathogens, STEC infections can resolve within a week or two for some people but in other cases can lead to much more serious complications and secondary medical conditions, particularly where somebody has pre-existing health problems or has a supressed immune system.
STEC can also spread from person to person, so even if you did not personally consume one of the recalled products, you may be exposed to an infection by close contact with others.
Our expertise
The food safety team have acted in a number of claims relating to large scale contamination of food products and have successfully recovered compensation for dozens of clients who have been infected with salmonella, campylobacter, Botulinum toxin, E. coli and other food-borne pathogens.
The food safety team specialises in group litigation, where multiple people have been affected by the same outbreak, and in cases where food poisoning has led to serious and life-changing complications and secondary conditions.
Can I bring a claim?
If you or somebody close to you have fallen ill after consuming one of the recalled products, our team of dedicated Food Safety lawyers can discuss the options available to you. Simply complete our enquiry form with some basic details and one of our team will be in touch to discuss the next steps with you.