Some of the UK’s largest supermarkets have issued urgent recalls of various seafood products, due to fears they might be contaminated with salmonella.
Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Asda and Waitrose are recalling popular items including mussels, king prawns and cockles, asking customers to return them to the shop where they were bought.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says: "If you have bought any of the above products do not eat them. Instead, return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund."
All four retailers have issued a similar statement which advises customers not to eat any of the recalled products, and to take it back to your nearest store for a full refund.
Sainsbury’s states that for customers who are vulnerable, shielding or otherwise unable to return the product to a store, you can get in touch via the careline on 0800 636262.
The Co-op customer care line is 0800 0686 727, or alternatively you can get in touch via customer.careline@coop.co.uk.
The Asda customer care line is 0800 952 0101.
The Waitrose customer care line is 0800 188 884, option four.
What’s being recalled?
Sainsburys:
Sainsbury’s Mussels (chilled), pack size 150g, all best before date codes
Sainsbury’s Cockles (chilled), pack size 90g, all best before date codes
Sainsbury’s Seafood Selection (chilled), pack size 200g, all best before date codes
Sainsbury’s Cooked Mussels (frozen), pack size 300g, all best before date codes
Sainsbury’s Seafood Selection (frozen), pack size 300g, all best before date codes
Co-op:
Co-op Cooked Mussels (chilled), pack size 140g, all best before date codes
Co-op Cooked Seafood Selection (frozen), pack size 300g, all best before date codes
Asda:
Asda Seafood Selection (Mussels, Seafood Bites and King Prawns) (chilled), pack size 240g, best before dates: 22, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 January 2021
Asda Cooked Mussels (chilled), pack size 150g, best before dates: 22, 23, 24, 26, 26, 27 and 28 January 2021
Waitrose:
Waitrose Essential Frozen Seafood Selection (King Prawns, Mussels and Squid Rings) (frozen), pack size 250g, all best before dates up to and including the end of January 2022
Waitrose Essential Cooked Seafood Selection (Mussels, King Prawns and Squid) (chilled), pack size 200g, all use by dates from 20 December 2020 to 20 January 2021
Symptoms of salmonella
According to the FSA, symptoms caused by salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.
The NHS says that the time taken between contracting salmonella and becoming ill is between six hours and three days, but it can be longer. Often, it is within 12 to 36 hours.
Symptoms include:
Loose stools (usually without blood or mucous)
Abdominal (stomach) pain
Fever
Headache
Nausea and/or vomiting
General tiredness
These symptoms usually clear up within three to seven days, but a small number of people take weeks to fully recover.
