A popular cheese has been recalled as a contaminated product potentially containing deadly bacteria that causes food poisoning, kills one in 20 people and can even lead to kidney failure.
A nationally popular cheese has been immediately recalled and labelled as contaminated, with fears circling that the product could contain deadly bacteria. The product, which is sold in a majority of UK supermarkets, has been warned against by Food Standards Scotland (FSS) as potentially containing a dangerous bacteria that kills one in 20 people and can even lead to kidney failure.
FSS have said that this is because some of these products may include Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), a group of bacteria which can cause severe cases of food poising and life-threatening kidney problems. Also known as verocytoxin producing E. coli (VTEC), this group is home to strains which can cause serious diarrhoeal illness – as was seen in Germany in 2011.
This advisory was placed onto Isle of Mull Cheese’s Hebridean Blue Cheese – though other Isle of Mull Cheese products appear to free of the virus.
The most common STEC strand in the UK is O157, according to the Public Health England’s report from 2017. Whilst some experience stomach cramps and bloody diarrhoea, others have been known to not to become ill from exposure.
The unlucky sufferers may experience a fever and chills, as well as vomiting and, in serious cases, organ damage due to the infection, which may lead to cases of kidney failure. These symptoms can occur from anywhere between day one to 10, but mostly seen in days three to four. Those affected can recover (untreated) after a week and are advised to consume plenty of fluids in order to increases hydration.
The caution includes all product sizes labelled as ‘best before date of April 10, 2025’ and with a batch code of ‘8051224’. Those who have purchased a pack of Isle of Mull Cheese’s Hebridean Blue Cheese have been instructed not only to not eat it, but to return it to the store of purchase.
In response to the outbreak, Isle of Mull Cheese’s have said: “Most varieties of cheese in the world are produced are from raw milk. It has been used to preserve food for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Producing raw milk cheese is tough. The cheese being recalled would have passed normal testing as no pathogens were found using agar plates. Cooking the cheese will totally remove any possibility of illness. We have withdrawn all Hebridean Blue cheese for further testing”.
Buyers have also been told to contact NHS 111 or their local GP if either they or their children experience any symptoms of the E. coli infection. This outbreak, of which, comes as a result of a ‘ready-to-eat’ product which contained dairy was reported as likely to be the cause of a nation-wide E. coli outbreak just last year. With shocking effect, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported a minimum of 37 victims to the virus were admitted to hospital and 113 cases were confirmed between May 25 and June 4.
