You will be aware that the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland have recently reinforced their advice to vulnerable groups of consumers in relation to the risks of Listeria monocytogenes infection linked to ready to eat smoked fish.
We can confirm that no supplier of smoked fish into Kingfisher Midlands has been affected by this outbreak or are involved in any current investigation.
The FSA and FSS have issued the following information on their website:
The advice to those who are over 65, pregnant or have weakened immune systems is that they should ensure that ready to eat smoked fish is thoroughly cooked before they eat it. ‘Ready to eat smoked fish’ refers to chilled smoked fish products that would not normally be cooked before being eaten.
Acting Head of Incidents at the Food Standard agency advises:
While the risks to the general public of becoming seriously ill due to Listeria are very low, we need people who are vulnerable – specifically those over 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems – to be aware of the ongoing risks of consuming ready to eat smoked fish.
If anyone from these groups is eating ready to eat smoked fish, we are reminding them of the advice to ensure that it is thoroughly cooked before they eat it including when served as part of a dish
You can ensure that the risks are further reduced by ensuring smoked, ready to eat products are held below 50C, always used by their use by date and following the storage instructions on the label.
Kingfisher Midlands will continue to monitor the situation closely via the FSA and FSS and suppliers via ongoing approval and monitoring procedures.
Further information and updates can be found at http://www.food.gov.uk
Hilary Owen, Head of Food Safety
