Pasta salads added to Bread Spread meningitis-linked foods urgently pulled from shelves

A range of pasta salads have been added to a list of recalled food products over fears they could cause meningitis.

All bread-based products from Bread Spread, based in Southall, are the subject of an urgent recall notice with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) branding the items “unsafe to eat”.

Environmental Health and Trading Standards Services are investigating the products which were found to contain the presence of Listeria monocytogenes and not manufactured in accordance with food law requirements.

In an update, the FSA issued an notice that pasta salads under the Bread Spread, Orbital Foods and Perfect Bite brand names have been added to the list of affected products.

UK & International

‘Do not eat’: Sandwiches and wraps linked to meningitis pulled from shelves

Customers were urged by the FSA not to eat the various chilled and ready to eat foods by Bread Spread.

An urgent notice said businesses – including catering establishments and corner shops across the UK – should pull any chilled and ready-to-eat foods from sale and dispose of them “safely”.

Described as a “developing situation”, the FSA said its list of affected products may be incomplete.

It cautioned customers that all foods with a best before date of up to and including May 20, 2024 manufactured or supplied by Bread Spread and its brands should be returned to the store where they were bought.

Tina Potter, head of incidents at the FSA said: “The FSA has issued a Food Alert for Action (FAFA) to Environmental Health and Trading Standards Services to remove chilled and ready-to-eat products manufactured and supplied by Bread Spread Ltd, because of serious food safety risks.

“A list of identified affected products can be found on Food.gov.uk.

“If further products are identified, we will update the alert.

“If you have any of the products listed or any other chilled or ready-to-eat foods from this business, do not eat them and instead, dispose of them safely.

UK & International

Bread products recalled over fears they could cause meningitis

People over the age of 65, pregnant women and their unborn babies are more vulnerable to infection.

“This is because listeria has been found in some products and the items are subject to a number of hygiene and traceability contraventions which makes them unsafe to eat.

“If you are unsure as to whether a product you have could be from the business, you should contact the retailer where you purchased the product.”

Details on how to report a food safety or hygiene issue to the local authority can be found here.

STV News has contacted Bread Spread for comment and interview.

How can the products be linked to meningitis?

The presence of Listeria monocytogenes has been found in the products, making them unsafe to eat.

Symptoms caused by the bacteria can be similar to flu and include high temperature, muscle aches or pain, chills, vomiting and diarrhoea.

In rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications such as meningitis.

People over the age of 65, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies less than one month old and immunocompromised people are more vulnerable to listeria infections.