The National Farmers’ Union has moved to calm any panic around eating vegetables in the wake of the UK E. coli revelations.
It emerged this week that a deadly E. coli outbreak in the UK earlier this year, which affected 74 people, one of whom died, was kept quiet by authorities as they continued to investigate.
NFU horticulture adviser Dr Chris Hartfield said: “We take the health and safety of consumers, as well as the issues surrounding E. coli, extremely seriously. There is absolutely no reason for people to be concerned about eating vegetables. When stored, prepared and cooked correctly, the HPA makes it very clear that eating vegetables remains perfectly safe.
“The HPA has reported that there was an association between illness and handling certain loose raw vegetables, which, although safe to eat, could have had soil on them containing harmful bacteria.
Hartfield stressed that growers, via the NFU and levy bodies, were consulted over the last three months.
Some 250 people in the UK were diagnosed with E. coli O157 - a different strain to the one that caused panic across Europe in June - between December 2010 and July 2011, the Health Protection Agency revealed. Of those taken ill, 74 people ended up in hospital, and one patient with underlying health problems died.
Hartfield added: “The solution to this issue and the advice being given by both the FSA and HPA is simply to remind people to wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before cooking and eating and follow good kitchen hygiene.”
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