Pork scratchings recalled amid salmonella outbreak
Tayto Group LtdPork scratchings linked to salmonella poisoning have left at least 12 people needing hospital treatment.
Concerns have been raised about snacks made by Tayto Group Ltd at its factory in Bolton, Greater Manchester, the Food Standards Agency said.
Some Mr Porky, Jay's and The Real Pork Crackling Company products have been recalled and withdrawn from sale.
Tayto Group Ltd said production would resume once all necessary checks had been completed.
The FSA said testing had found a total of 176 reported cases of salmonella poisoning were potentially connected to the products, dating back to September 2020, although the link was only established earlier this month.
Public Health England confirmed it was aware of 12 people needing hospital treatment.
In a recall alert, the FSA issued further details about the snacks, which have best before dates up to and including 19 February 2022.
Tina Potter, the FSA's head of incidents, said it was "really important that consumers follow this advice to avoid the risk of becoming ill with salmonella poisoning".
She added: "The food business involved has voluntarily suspended its production to put additional controls in place to improve the safety of their products."
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning can include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever.
While infections are often mild, they can become more severe and need hospital treatment, especially in the very young and those with weak immune systems.
Dr Lesley Larkin, an infections specialist at Public Heath England, said a link to the products had been established via genome sequencing and other investigations.
Dr Larkin said: "These investigations, together with those carried out by local authorities, have indicated the source of infection is pork scratchings produced by a single company in the UK.
"The FSA has acted on these findings to mitigate any further risk to public health from the contaminated food."
Tayto Group Ltd operates from six sites across the UK manufacturing a range of products including pork scratchings, crisps and popcorn.
A spokesman said: "The safety of our products is of the utmost importance, which is why we have taken the decision to initiate a precautionary recall for some products.
"We are working closely with the local environmental health team and the FSA at this time."
