Tesco is recalling one of its cheese brands over fears that a dangerous type of E.coli is present in some products.
All batches of ‘Tesco Finest St Felicien Du Dauphine’ unpasteurised cheese is being recalled by the supermarket chain, due to the possible presence of Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC), which can cause severe illness, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
Point-of-sale notices will be displayed in Tesco stores for the French cheese, advising customers not to eat the affected product.
The FSAI points out that, while most E.coli are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans, STEC produces a toxin that can have a range of uncomfortable health impacts.
The effects can vary for different people though, particularly the elderly and children under five years old.
In these cases, the toxin can cause a complication called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), which destroys red blood cells and causes the kidneys to stop functioning properly.
The time between the initial infection and the first appearance of symptoms is usually between three and four days; however, this can vary to between one and eight days.