A popular cheese product is being recalled from various UK supermarkets over fears it may contain clostridium botulinum, bacteria that can cause a serious type of food poisoning called Botulism. This can lead to paralysis, and in some cases can be fatal.
Primula cheese is sold in 100g and 150g tubes and usually retails at around £1.50. The company issued the recall notice after one of their products tested positive to being contaminated with the dangerous bacteria.
A notice on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website confirmed the urgent recall applied to Primula Plain Original Cheese Spread, Primula Cheese Spread with Smoked Paprika, Primula Cheese Spread with Jalapeno, Primula Light Cheese Spread, Primula Cheese Spread with Ham, Primula Cheese Spread with Chive and Primula Cheese Spread with Prawn.
The FSA said: "Primula Ltd is recalling all Primula Cheese tubes, (chilled and ambient) because the product might be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum due to a production fault.
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"They have taken the precautionary step of recalling all products because one product might contain Clostridium botulinum."
A spokesperson for Primula said: "As a precaution, we have stopped all product distribution.
"We have also instructed retailers to remove Primula tubes from shelves with immediate effect. Customers are also advised not to eat any Primula Cheese tubes they have already purchased.
"We would also like to apologise to those who won't be able to get their hands on our cheese for a short period of time while we work hard to resolve the issue."
Many of the UK's leading supermarkets have been impacted by the withdrawal notice, with Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco announcing the product recall via their respective websites or social media feeds.
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According to the NHS, botulism is a 'very rare but life-threatening condition', caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
Depending on the exact type of botulism, initially some people have symptoms including feeling sick, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhoea or constipation.
"Without treatment, botulism eventually causes paralysis that spreads down the body from the head to the legs," the NHS website says, adding that symptoms can also include: drooping eyelids; blurred or double vision; facial muscle weakness; difficulty swallowing; slurred speech; breathing difficulties.
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Affected babies may also have a weak cry, find it difficult to feed, and have a floppy head, neck and limbs.
Featured Image Credit: Primula