'No E.coli food' in British shops

There is no evidence of E.coli contamination in British food stores, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley says
12 April 2012

There is no evidence that any of the food contaminated with the strain of E.coli which has infected more than 2,000 people in Germany has found its way in to British shops, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said.

Mr Lansley said so far every one of the 11 British citizens infected had recently travelled to Germany and the Government had decided not to ban imports of food at the moment.

In a written ministerial statement, he said the Food Standards Agency would withdraw foods from shops or ban imports should the outbreak reach the UK.

The Government was "taking all possible measures" to monitor the spread of the E.coli 0104, which had so far claimed the lives of 21 Germans and a Swedish national.

The source has yet to be confirmed but the German authorities thought it to be a sprouted seed mix consisting of alfalfa seeds, fenugreek, lentil and azuki beans from a farm in northern Germany.

However, initial tests have proved negative and experts are still searching for a definitive cause, Mr Lansley said.

He added: "I want to reassure the House that I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that there is no evidence that any of these products are present in the UK food chain.

"Information received to date indicates that all of the potentially affected produce was distributed locally in Germany and has been withdrawn from the German market.

"The cases of illness we have in the UK apparently linked to this outbreak are all in people with a history of recent travel from Germany, and no new cases in the UK have been identified since Friday."

A new case of food poisoning apparently linked to a toxic E.coli outbreak has been reported in the UK, bringing the total to 12, the Health Protection Agency said.

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