Urgent warning as your favourite Christmas cheese could have E.coli | UK News

Christmas means a lot of different things to people. For some, it’s a fry-up in the morning and then – and only then – presents. To others, it’s cheese.

A whole lot of cheese.

Food safety officials haven’t quite wished people a Merry Christmas while handing over a cheese board this year, though.

Yesterday, the Food Standards Agency issued a new alert for a popular cheese brand because it might contain E.coli.

The bacteria is behind many food-borne illnesses and infection can lead to fever, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea and occasionally a syndrome that can lead to kidney failure.

So not quite what people asked Santa Claus for this year.

Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese, a Lancashire-based farmhouse, has taken the ‘precautionary step’ of recalling four of its dairy favourites.

This means food safety and hygiene officials and the cheesemonger are asking consumers to return the product.

All four recalled lines – Milk and Creamy Lancashire, Tasty Lancashire, Mature Lancashire and Smoked Lancashire – have use-by dates purchased since October.

‘If you have bought the above product do not eat it,’ the FSA stressed.

The agency warned anyone unwrapping their presents to double-check to find a cheese hamper or board if any is made by Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese.

‘The cheeses are sometimes sold as a full block or served as individual portions, it may have been provided as part of a hamper you’ve purchased or been gifted,’ the alert said.

‘In some cases, it’s been sold as part of a charcuterie grazing platter.’

E.coli, short for Escherichia coli, call the intestines of animals such as cattle home. Most strains of the bacteria are harmless, public health officials say.

As the animal product goes from the farm to the table, transmission occurs mainly through faeces from infected animals or eating contaminated food.

Symptoms of infection can vary but they tend to be similar to a particularly rough cold or flu – think a mild fever of about 38.5˚C and stomach cramps.

People over the age of 65, young people, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems are most likely to have the most severe symptoms.

About one in two people suffer bloody diarrhoea and symptoms generally last up to two weeks without complications.

A small proportion of those sickened with E.coli, such as children, may develop haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a serious life-threatening condition resulting in kidney failure.

People have been warned not to eat the four Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese products and instead return to the store where it was bought from.

‘Ensure the products are thoroughly wrapped and do not come into contact with any other foods,’ the FSA added.

‘Wash your hands, equipment, utensils and surfaces that may have come into contact with the product thoroughly.’

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