Food-to-go sandwiches and wraps at retailers recalled due to E. coli outbreak

Plant-based food brand This has joined manufacturing giants Samworth Brothers and Greencore in recalling food-to-go bakery items including sandwiches and wraps due to possible E. coli contamination.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued a food alert on 16 June for the This! Isn’t Chicken and Bacon Wrap, saying the supplier was taking the precautionary step of recalling the product, which is stocked exclusively at WH Smith stores.

The FSA alert followed on from similar ones made two days prior that announced recalls for a total of 45 different sandwiches, wraps and salads from Greencore and 15 sandwiches and wraps from Samworth Brothers Manton Wood (see full list below). These are sold at a variety of retailers including Aldi, Amazon, Asda, Boots, Co-op, One Stop, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s.

All three notices stated that, although E. coli bacteria had not been detected in the products, recalls had been made as a precautionary measure due to the risk of a possible presence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Symptoms caused by these organisms include severe diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and sometimes haemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure and can be fatal, noted the alerts.

Consumers are advised not to eat the products, but to return them to where they were purchased for a full refund.

An outbreak of STEC 0145 had been revealed on 6 June in a press release from UK Health Security Agency. The latest update confirmed a total of 211 cases had been identified so far, with the figure expected to rise as whole genome sequencing was ongoing. Based on information from 160 cases to date, 42% were admitted to hospital.

Greens fingered

An external statement from Samworth Brothers Manton Wood revealed that the FSA had advised a supplier of a salad ingredient, which it used in a small number of its food-to-go products, to undertake a product withdrawal and recall. ’Food chain investigations are being carried out, which have not yet reached any conclusions,’ noted the manufacturer, adding that no other products had been affected.

Greencore, which also operates a site in Manton Wood Enterprise Park near Worksop in Nottinghamshire, stated it adheres to the highest standards of food safety. “We are working closely with the Food Standards Agency and our suppliers to better understand the possible source of any potential issue,” said the company.

Vegan brand This confirmed that none of its other products posed a risk of contamination aside from the one wrap, covering the use by dates up to and including 18 June 2024.

The food-to-go sector has recently been hit by a series of major bakery recalls including suspected listeria contaminations of 101 products from The Real Wrap Co (which was acquired by Samworth Brothers in April) and at least 23 different lines by Bread Spread.

Here’s the list of affected Greencore products (with use by dates up to and including 15 or 16 June 2024):

 Here’s the list of affected Samworth Brothers products (with use by dates up to and including 16 or 17 June 2024):