Botulism attacks ‘linked to’ Loyd Grossman’s sauce

TWO Scots hospitalised by botulism are believed to have got the illness from a Loyd Grossman curry sauce.

The Food Standards Agency has warned people not to consume products bought from a specific batch of the korma sauce branded under the name of the celebrity chef after one jar was found to have been contaminated with the bacteria.

On Wednesday, two members of the same family in Scotland were taken to hospital suffering from an illness believed to be botulism.

They were said at the weekend to be stable, although Health Protection Scotland does not plan to issue any further updates on their condition at the request of family members.

Although it is believed that only one jar has been contaminated, the FSA has recommended that members of the public do not eat food from the same batch.

“The Food Standards Agency is advising people not to consume specific jars of Loyd Grossman korma sauce,” a statement on the FSA’s website said.

“This is because of the risk of botulism poisoning.”

The affected batch is of 350g jars of Loyd Grossman korma sauce with a “best before” date of February 2013 and a batch code of 1218R 07:21.

“Anyone who has any of the jars from this batch of Loyd Grossman Korma sauce should not eat it,” the FSA said.

“No other batches of Loyd Grossman products are thought to be affected.”

The agency added: “Two members of the same family who have contracted botulism and have eaten from a jar of this batch of sauce have been hospitalised in Scotland. The FSA will issue more information as it becomes available.”

In a separate statement, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said preliminary tests had identified the toxin that causes botulism from the used jar.

The HPA has also notified health professionals across the UK of the situation and has advised them to look out for people of all ages with possible symptoms.

Botulism, which is often food-borne, is rare in the UK and is caused by toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which attacks the nervous system. The infection is not contagious.

Symptoms of foodborne botulism typically begin between 12 and 36 hours after ingestion of contaminated food, but may appear in as little as six hours.

They include blurred vision, difficulty swallowing and difficulty speaking – symptoms that rapidly get worse. They are then followed by general muscle weakness.

Anyone with symptoms of botulism should seek urgent medical advice. Antitoxins have proved very effective in treating the condition if detected early, although full recovery may take several months.

Dr Kathie Grant, a botulinum toxin expert at the HPA, said: “Cases of botulism are thankfully very rare in the UK although it can be a very serious infection in those that are affected.

“We urge the public to take heed of this message and ensure that they immediately dispose of this product and to be aware of the signs and symptoms of botulism.”

Just two weeks ago, a batch of olives produced in Italy and imported to Greencity Wholefoods of Glasgow was withdrawn from sale in the UK after two people in Helsinki, Finland, were diagnosed with botulism.

In November 2009, a baby boy – the first baby to contract the disease since records began – was admitted to hospital suffering from symptoms of botulism.