FSA warning on certain jars of Loyd Grossman Korma sauce

The Food Standards Agency is advising people not to consume specific jars of Loyd Grossman Korma sauce. This is because of the risk of botulism poisoning.

Only one jar from the batch is known to have been contaminated with the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, but the Agency is advising people not to eat products from this batch as a precautionary measure.

Details of the affected batch

• 350g jars of Loyd Grossman Korma sauce with a ‘best before’ date of February 2013.
• The sauce has a batch code of: 1218R 07:21.

Anyone who has any of the jars from this batch of Loyd Grossman Korma sauce should not eat it. No other batches of Loyd Grossman products are thought to be affected.

Two members of the same family who have contracted botulism and have eaten from a jar of this batch of sauce have been hospitalised in Scotland. The FSA will issue more information as it becomes available.

Background

Botulism is rare in the UK and is caused by toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which attacks the nervous system and can affect people of any age. The infection is not contagious and so cannot be spread from person to person. Symptoms of foodborne botulism typically begin between 12 and 36 hours after ingestion of contaminated food, but may appear in as little as six hours.

Symptoms to look out for are a combination of blurred vision, difficulty swallowing and difficulty speaking – symptoms that rapidly get worse. They are then followed by general muscle weakness. Any person, child or adult, with these symptoms should seek urgent medical advice. Antitoxins have proved very effective in treating the condition if treated early, although full recovery may take several months.

Anyone who has consumed this product and is concerned about the symptoms above should seek urgent medical advice. Outside of normal hours, they can contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647 (England and Wales) or NHS 24 on 08454 242424 (Scotland). Consumers in Northern Ireland who are concerned that they may be suffering from symptoms of botulism should contact their GP. Information on out of hours GP contacts in Northern Ireland is available on the NI Direct website at the link below.

Health Protection Agency frequently asked questions about botulism >>

NI Direct – Out of hours service >>