Loyd Grossman Korma sauce recalled due to botulism fears
by John McCarthy | November 15th, 2011
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has announced that Premier Foods is recalling Loyd Grossman Korma Sauce (350g jars with a batch code of 1218R and a best-before-date of February 2013) as a precaution following the detection of Clostridium botulinum toxin in one jar forming part of the batch.
The implicated sauce was partly consumed by two members of a family in Scotland who are suffering from botulism. The products involved were available for purchase in Tesco stores throughout the Republic.
The FSAI is advising consumers who have purchased any jars contained in the implicated batch not to consume them and to dispose of them. A full batch recall has been issued and the sauce is being removed from shop shelves.
Apart from the two Scottish cases (which concerned the same family) no further cases have been identified to date. Lab tests carried out by the UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) detected botulinum toxin in an opened jar of sauce obtained at the home of the family.
While it is of course possible that the jar in question could have been separately contaminated from another source, no evidence to support this possibility has been found, according to the HPA.
Members of the public are urged to be vigilant for signs and symptoms of botulism food poisoning, including blurred vision, difficulty swallowing, headaches and muscle weakness.
Botulism is a paralytic illness caused by the toxin created by Clostridium botulinum which is a spore-forming bacterium. The bacterium thrives in anaerobic conditions and may therefore be detected in sealed containers and packets containing processed food.
As the toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is neutralised at high temperatures, boiling is an effective means of safeguarding against contracting this foodborne illness.
