In a recent development, the vegan food company THIS! has issued a recall of its vegan chicken and bacon wrap due to potential E.coli contamination. Customers who have purchased the wrap from WHSmith up to and including Tuesday 18 June are urged not to consume the product and return it immediately for a full refund.

This precautionary recall follows closely on the heels of similar actions taken by sandwich manufacturers Greencore and Samworth Brothers Manton Wood, which supply a wide range of products to UK supermarkets. The affected products span across several major retailers including Boots, Asda, Tesco, Co-op, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, and Amazon.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), alongside Food Standards Scotland and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), is actively investigating to pinpoint the source of the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreak. Darren Whitby, the FSA’s head of incidents, emphasised the agencies’ commitment to identifying the cause of this outbreak.

Trish Mannes from the UKHSA highlighted that symptoms of an STEC infection can range from severe and sometimes bloody diarrhoea to stomach cramps, vomiting, and fever. In some instances, complications can escalate to kidney failure. The public is advised to seek guidance from NHS.uk if symptoms arise.

As of 11 June, there have been 211 reported cases linked to this STEC outbreak, marking a significant increase from 113 cases reported five days prior.