Three people have d!ed after contracting serious food poisoning thought to be linked to hospital desserts
Two others were hospitalised after becoming ill. All five patients had underlying health conditions. One of the deaths is confirmed to have been caused by listeria.
An investigation has been launched into the cases, which are thought to be linked to chocolate desserts supplied to the NHS.
Now, the Food Standards Agency has issued an alert over products that could be contaminated with listeria, according to Food Safety News.
It is understood that the chocolate mousse was supplied to the NHS by Cool Delight Desserts.
It affects frozen, ready-to-eat desserts by Cool Delight Desserts after listeria monocytogenes was found twice in chocolate and vanilla mousse and strawberry and vanilla mousse.
The bacteria samples were found in February at an NHS hospital in the South West of England as part of routine surveillance, the outlet reports.
All pack sizes, best-before dates and batch codes of Cool Delight Desserts ice cream, ice cream rolls, mousses and yoghurts are affected.
The patients were identified between May and December last year.
Listeria was confirmed as a cause of death in one of the cases.
Two were in Yorkshire and Humber, one each in the North West of England and West Midlands, and one in Wales.
The patients had underlying health conditions and they were taken to hospital.
Their ages ranged from 68 to 89, according to Food Safety News.
Dr Godbole told Metro: ‘We are investigating a small number of cases of listeria. The cause of the outbreak isn’t confirmed yet.
‘However, our laboratory testing has identified a potential link to a particular type of dessert, which is not available from retailers but is served in some NHS Trusts.
‘Working with the Food Standards Agency, on a precautionary basis, we have advised NHS Trusts and those providing care to vulnerable people to stop serving these desserts while investigations are underway.’
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