Major UK supermarkets have recalled 43 frozen vegetable products over fears they may contain listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause the rare but serious illness listeriosis. The recall, issued by supplier Greenyard Frozen UK, affects own-brand products from Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury's, Lidl, Iceland and Waitrose.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advised consumers not to eat the products and to return them to the store for a full refund. The recall includes sweetcorn-based products, which are suspected to be the source of an outbreak affecting five countries, including the UK, since 2015.
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 11 people in the UK have been affected by listeriosis since 2015, with two deaths last year. The same strain of listeria was detected in frozen vegetables from a Hungarian company in 2016, 2017 and 2018, suggesting persistent contamination in the processing plant.
Symptoms of listeriosis include high temperature, muscle ache, sickness and diarrhoea, similar to flu. The illness can be more serious for people with weakened immune systems, the elderly, pregnant women and infants. The FSA reiterated that most frozen vegetables should be cooked before eating, following manufacturer instructions.
