Cheese lovers alerted to threat of Ecoli

A Christmas favourite, Camembert cheese was being taken off supermarket shelves after fears that they could be contaminated with the deadly E.coli bug.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA,) are warning customers of the possible contamination affecting a number of brands. Waitrose supermarket has already removed the cheese from their shelves.
Many people will have already purchased their cheeses and they are being urged to return them to where they bought them from or simply throw them away.
A spokesman for the FSA said, “Basically, the message is, if you have any of these products in your fridge, don’t eat them. Ring the importer’s customer care number and demand a refund.
“If people have eaten any and have developed any symptoms such as stomach cramps or diarrhoea they should contact their GP or NHS Direct.”
The strain of E.coli is known as O26 according to the FSA, and if ingested will cause severe food poisoning. The French authorities alerted the FSA after French customers fell ill.
The cheeses were recalled by Waitrose after microbiological test results were “unsatisfactory” at the dairy in France. The spokesman added, “Waitrose has the highest standards of customer safety and we took action a soon as we were notified of a potential issue by our supplier.”
The symptoms for E.coli can range from mild diarrhoea to severe illness which can lead to kidney damage.
The bacteria can be found in the intestines of healthy animals, in meat and sometimes in milk. The meat and milk can become contaminated during the slaughter or milking process.
The bacteria can be killed by cooking or pasteurising but if this is not done properly, the bacteria will survive, and can result in death if the infected product is eaten.
The affected cheeses are:
Reaux’s Gaslonde Camembert 250g packs;
Camembert de Normandie Th. Reaux 250g packs;
Reaux’s Gaslonde Camembert 1kg (sold over the counter.)
The above are all made by Laiterie Fromagerie du Val d’Ay-Etablissement Reaux and are distributed by Anthony Rowcliffe &Son in the UK. All batches, according to the FSA have been affected and these include all use-by dates.
Customers should call Anthony Rowcliffe &Son on 01892 839950 for refunds and information.

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