Health officials have urged the public not to eat a semi soft cheese due to the risk of them being contaminated with listeria. The Food Standards Agency and UK Health Security Agency have issued a warning not to eat Baronet semi soft cheese, which have been recalled because they are contaminated with listeria.
The type of cheese being recalled is Baronet, which is a pasteurised semi soft cheese with a pinkish orange rind and a pungent smell.
It is often bought in small individual rounds and as 1kg wheels which may be cut down to order. Consumers have been advised to contact the retailer they bought their cheese from to find out if the Baronet cheese they have purchased is from the businesses and batches affected and in the meantime to not eat the product.
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Symptoms of listeriosis involve high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea. The symptoms can be similar to the flu. In rare cases, it can be more severe and can cause serious complications, such as meningitis.
Those who are more vulnerable to listeria infections are those over 65 years of age, pregnant women and their unborn babies and babies less than one month old. As well as those with weakened immune systems, such as people with cancer, HIV, underlying liver or kidney disease or people undergoing immunosuppressive treatment.
The UK Health Security Agency has identified three cases potentially linked to a listeria outbreak. Also, the outbreak has been found in some food products and samples taken from food environments, although it hasn’t been confirmed that Baronet is the cause of this outbreak, the organisation added.
The Food Standards Agency says that if you have purchased any recalled products, it is important that you:
- Do not eat the product
- Thoroughly clean any surfaces they may have touched to prevent cross-contamination of other foods and items used to consume food and drink
- Make sure that fridges are kept at the right temperature - Five Degrees Celsius or below - as this will limit the growth of any harmful bacteria
- Always use products up to and within their use-by date, following storage instructions on the label
Both the Food Standards Agency and UK Health Security Agency will continue to work together and work with local authorities in response to this outbreak. Further recalls may be undertaken if any more products are found to be affected.
FSA Head of Incidents, Tina Potter, said: "Due to this outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes, we are urging consumers who are vulnerable to Listeria infection – including people who are pregnant and people with weakened immune systems to ensure they follow the advice in the product recall notices, which details all of the products which may pose a risk.
“We are also asking people to make sure that elderly relatives who may have purchased the recalled items, and who are at particular risk, are aware of the recall and observe the advice.
“Some foods carry a greater risk of listeria than others. These include soft cheeses, pate, smoked fish, chilled sliced meats and other chilled ready to eat products.”
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