The company at the centre of a major recall of supermarket own-label houmous products over salmonella fears has suspended production as it awaits further test results.
Gwent-based dips manufacturer Zorba Delicacies has had to recall 82 houmous products after its own testing procedures showed they might be contaminated with the bug.
The products include own-brand houmous stocked in Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Lidl, Aldi and Iceland, which have date ranges running up to 17 November.
The Food Standards Agency, which issued a food alert on 29 October and another on 3 November, said point of sale notices had been displayed in all stores that sell these products.
It also advised consumers not to consume the houmous and to return packs to stores in order to receive a full refund.
Zorba said it was the first salmonella-related product recall it had undertaken in 15 years of business.
“The first issue was identified in a limited volume of houmous during our testing procedure and root cause analysis quickly pointed to the likely source as being an ingredient supplied by a third party,” said a spokesman for Zorba Delicacies.
“Further extensive testing of batches of the suspected ingredient resulted in a presumptive indication of the presence of salmonella in a sample.
“In both instances we immediately alerted the FSA, with whom we continue to work on this matter, and instructed customers to remove product from all outlets.”
The spokesman added that the third-party supplier in question had been suspended pending further testing and results.
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