UK supermarket Sainsbury's has recalled all of its own-brand bagged watercress in light of an E.coli outbreak that has affected 18 people.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) put out the Sainsbury's recall notice, which also affects some of the supermarket's mixed salads, as a "precautionary measure" after a significant outbreak of E.coli O157 in England, Wales and Scotland.
Public Health England (PHE) said some of those affected had been treated in hospital after becoming unwell and that the outbreak appeared to be linked to the consumption of watercress. Thirteen of those affected are from England, with four in Wales and one in Scotland.
A statement on the FSA website said no other Sainsbury's products are thought to be affected, stating, "Investigations by the Food Standards Agency, Public Health England and local authorities are continuing and further information will be provided once it becomes available.
"Sainsbury's has informed the FSA that it is carrying out testing on all of its affected lines, but that no trace of E.coli O157 has been detected to date."
Interviews with those affected "revealed a strong link to the consumption of watercress", with most saying they had bought it at Sainsbury's.
In England, nine of the 13 cases are in people over the age of 50. Ten women and three men have been affected. All of the five in Scotland and Wales are over 55.
A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said "The Food Standards Agency has made us aware that a small number of people have fallen ill with a bacterial infection, and that one of their lines of investigation is watercress bought at Sainsbury's since 1st August.
"Customer safety and the quality of our food are our overriding concern and so, although no traces of contamination has been found in our products, we have as a precautionary measure withdrawn six lines of pre-packed salad containing watercress from the supplier concerned.
"We are urgently testing all similar products and have to date found no indication of contamination. We will of course keep customers fully updated.
"Customers who have bought any of these products from Sainsbury's since 1st August should not consume them. They can be returned to store for a full refund. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause."
The products recalled by Sainsbury's are:
By Sainsbury's Watercress Leaves, 75g
By Sainsbury's Watercress, Spinach and Rocket salad, 100g
By Sainsbury's Watercress, Spinach and Rocket, 170g
By Sainsbury's Watercress twin pack, 2 x 35g
So Organic Watercress, 75g
So Organic Watercress, Spinach and Rocket, 100g
