Three people have died and two more have been hospitalised after contracting serious food poisoning linked to chocolate desserts supplied to NHS hospitals.
Listeria Outbreak Traced to NHS Dessert Supplier
The source of the contamination has been identified as frozen chocolate mousse desserts made by Cool Delight Desserts, a company that supplies ready-to-eat frozen products to NHS hospitals. An investigation has been launched following the discovery of listeria monocytogenes in the company’s chocolate and vanilla mousse, as well as strawberry and vanilla mousse.
According to Food Safety News, routine surveillance in February at a hospital in the South West of England detected the dangerous bacteria in samples from these desserts. The affected products include all pack sizes, best-before dates, and batch codes of Cool Delight Desserts’ ice creams, ice cream rolls, mousses, and yoghurts.
Food Standards Agency Issues Alert
The Food Standards Agency has now issued a public alert regarding the contaminated products and warned that other items from the same supplier could pose a risk. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is also investigating the outbreak, which affected patients between May and December last year. The patients, aged between 68 and 89, all had underlying health conditions.
One of the deaths has been directly attributed to listeria, according to official records.
What is Listeria?
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that causes listeriosis. While mild symptoms include fever, chills, nausea, and diarrhoea, the illness can become severe and even fatal for vulnerable individuals, including the elderly, those with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women. Listeriosis is responsible for around 26 deaths annually in the UK.
Listeria is commonly found in pre-cooked meats, deli meats, soft cheeses, smoked fish, pâté, unpasteurised milk products, and pre-packed sandwiches, salads, and fruit.
Locations of Cases
The five confirmed cases were spread across Yorkshire and Humber, the North West of England, the West Midlands, and Wales. All of the patients were hospitalised after falling seriously ill.
The investigation remains ongoing.
