UK tells consumers to follow label instructions as E.coli advice revised

The food safety body had issued the warning earlier this month after the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that fenugreek sprouts imported from Egypt were the likely source of the deadly E.coli outbreak in Germany that killed more than 40 people and a similar one in France that sickened around a dozen.

Following the declaration, European officials banned the sales of the suspected batches of fenugreek seeds and introduced a ban on their importation from Egypt until 31 October, 2011. Authorities also advised consumers against eating raw sprouts.

But the UK body yesterday told consumers they could resume eating raw sprouts if labels on packaging decalred they were ready-to-eat or ready to wash.

However, the FSA stressed: “All other sprouted seeds, if not labelled as such, should be cooked thoroughly until steaming hot.”​

Officials also urged caterers to source their supplies of sprouted seeds only from producers that have recognised food safety and quality control systems in place.

The body said it had changed its advice after a probe had revealed that no evidence that any of the implicated seeds were on sale in the UK. They added that, to date, no cases of E. coli O104:H4 food poisoning have been reported in the UK linked to the outbreak in the Bordeaux region of France.

A UK firm was linked to the French outbreak as it had bought the suspect fenugreek seeds via the German importer of the affected batch.

But seeds from the Ipswich-based company have so far tested negative for the E.coli strain, said the FSA detailing what it called “recent developments in the on-going investigation”.​