The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued a recall for several cheeses from Mrs Kirkham’s and Route des Terroirs due to potential contamination. The recall, initiated on Sunday for Mrs Kirkham’s products and on Christmas Day for Route des Terroirs, includes varieties such as Mrs Kirkham’s Creamy, Tasty, Mature, and Smoked Lancashire, as well as Route des Terroirs’s Morbier Maison Monts & Terroirs Chalet De Vevy.
Customers who have bought these cheeses are eligible for a refund. The FSA highlighted that Mrs Kirkham’s cheeses may have been included in hampers or as part of charcuterie grazing platters, making it challenging for consumers to identify the affected products.
The agency warned that these cheeses, sold in major outlets like Waitrose and Booths as well as smaller stores, might be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). This bacterium can cause symptoms resembling the flu, including high temperature, muscle aches, and diarrhoea. In severe cases, it can lead to serious complications like meningitis.
Consumers in possession of these products are advised to handle them with care, ensuring they are fully wrapped and isolated from other foods. The FSA also emphasized the importance of thorough handwashing and cleaning of any equipment or surfaces that may have come into contact with the recalled cheeses.
To receive a full refund, affected products can be returned to the point of purchase. Stores where these cheeses were sold will display point-of-sale notices detailing the recall and instructions for consumers who have purchased these products.
Mrs Kirkhams Lancashire Cheese released a statement on Social Media “We would just like to say this is a precautionary measure, to ensure the well-being of our customers. We where only made aware of this yesterday teatime, and as yet there has not been any testing carried out on our product by the Food Standards Agency to confirm this.
We are working with our EHO and the FSA to get to the bottom of this matter. Mrs kirkham’s site, is Salsa + cheese accredited, and part of the Specialist Cheesemakers Association, and have followed the best code of practice within our business.
This particular strain of ecoli that is involved in the potential outbreak is something which is new to us all ! With all the testing we carry out, and all other cheesemakers on their products from milk through to the finished product, this new strain would not have apparently been detected!
We are required to test for the most common form of ecoli (0157). We are now unfortunately in limbo until Wednesday when the labs open and we and the FSA can carry out tests and investigate further.
There is not just our product involved in this out break there are a number of other products also being investigated and tested.
As soon as we have any further updates we will inform you straight away.”
