Chicken products removed from sale in salmonella alert

A host of retailers have removed sandwiches, wraps and ready meals containing chicken from their shelves following a salmonella outbreak at a UK processing factory.

Pret A Manger, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Aldi have all removed lines from shelves and are asking customers not to eat them.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) website lists around 100 products involved in the recall, with retailers also including Amazon, Caffe Nero, Costa, Jamie Oliver deli by Shell, One Stop and Starbucks.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach cramps. The affected products have use-by dates of May 11, 12 and 13.

Tesco has pulled 14 items, including chicken breast slices, coronation chicken pieces and flame grilled chicken thins with use-by dates up to and including May 18, 19 and 20.

A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “We are recalling the majority of Sainsbury’s and Taste the Difference chicken sandwiches, chicken wraps, chicken sandwich platters and some of our cooked chicken.

“This is a precautionary measure as our supplier has alerted us that salmonella has been detected in some batches of cooked chicken.

“We are asking customers not to consume the product and to return it to their nearest Sainsbury’s store, where they will receive a full refund. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.”

M&S has removed 12 items, including its coronation chicken deli filler, 14-piece classic sandwich platter and classic mini roll selection, while Waitrose has withdrawn 10 of its own chicken sandwich and wraps.

A Pret A Manger spokeswoman said: “As a precautionary measure, we’ve temporarily removed the majority of chicken items on our menu due to a potential food safety risk at one of our suppliers. We hope to have these products back in shops soon. We apologise for any inconvenience.”

It comes after salmonella was detected during a “routine internal inspection” at the Cranswick processing plant in Hull.

The company said: “Cranswick can confirm that a routine internal inspection has identified the presence of salmonella in a limited number of cooked chicken products prepared at our poultry facility in Hull.

“These products are sold as ingredients for sandwiches and meals through UK retailers and food-to-go outlets.

“As a precautionary measure, we have asked our customers to remove any of their products containing our ready-to-eat chicken produced during the affected period.

“We are working closely with the Food Standards Agency and will collaborate with their experts to resolve the matter.

“We are conducting a thorough investigation into the possible cause of the contamination and the site will remain closed until the investigations are complete.

“The safety and quality of every product produced by Cranswick is our number one priority and all necessary protocols will be followed and completed before we restart production.”

The FSA said: “Cranswick Country Foods are recalling several products containing chicken because salmonella has been found in some of the chicken used to manufacture these products. As a precaution, additional products are also being recalled whilst investigations continue.

“The products listed above may be contaminated with salmonella. Symptoms of salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.

“Our advice to consumers if you have bought the above products, (is) do not eat them. Instead, return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund.”