An investigation has been launched after children in 45 schools in Caerphilly County Borough were served chicken potentially contaminated with the harmful Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.
Concerns were first raised on Wednesday, November 9, after some kitchen staff reported an unpleasant odour when the cooked chicken slices were opened from their packaging.
According to a letter sent home to parents, the chicken was served at some schools after “quality checks” found no issues.
However, according to the Food Standards Agency the chicken which had the smell was not served and was tested by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Environmental Health Department.
The samples tested were found to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes – the bacteria which causes listeria food poisoning
The affected batch of chicken, which was has been withdrawn from schools and an investigation is underway by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Public Health Wales and Caerphilly County Borough Council to find the source of the contamination.
A food manufacturer from England which supplied the chicken and a distributor in Wales are being investigated. As a precaution, all cooked sliced chicken from the company in England is being tested for contamination.
The authorities said it is unclear whether the whole batch of chicken supplied to schools was affected and that samples in which the bacteria were found were taken from those where the catering staff had noticed the smell and had not served the chicken.
Nina Purcell, FSA Director of Wales and Regulatory Delivery, said: “We are working closely with Public Health Wales and Caerphilly County Borough Council environmental health to urgently identify the cause of this incident.
“The FSA is currently performing a number of investigations across the food chain, both in Wales and England, to ensure consumers are protected. If your child is under the care of a doctor because of a weakened immune system and develops any symptoms over the next two months you should contact your health care provider.”
Heather Lewis, Consultant in Health Protection for Public Health Wales, said: “Thankfully, no cases of illness have been reported at this time. However, it can take anywhere from three to 70 days for the symptoms of listeriosis to show following consumption of a contaminated food product.
“There is no test that can be undertaken to confirm whether a person has the infection or likely to develop it, prior to the start of symptoms occurring. There is also no medication that can be prescribed in advance of the development of symptoms to prevent infection.
“Based on the current assessment of the situation, the risk of getting listeriosis is very low for a vast majority of healthy children and staff.”