Cheesemaker speaks out after one person dies in UK E.Coli outbreak

The owner of a cheese company has spoken out after some of his products were recalled following the E.Coli outbreak in the UK.

Four products from the Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese brand have been recalled by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on a precautionary basis due to potential E. Coli contamination.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed 30 cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. Coli across England and Scotland so far. Those affected range from age seven to 81, with one of the affected sadly passing away from an infection caused by the contamination.

Following the outbreak, Graham Kirkham, who runs the Lancashire-based cheese company, spoke to MailOnline saying: "This is going to change the dairy industry".

@mellischeeseltd/@mrskirkhams/Instagram

Mr Kirkham also added that eight of the 30 affected had eaten his brand of cheese, mentioning that the E.Coli outbreak is a 'new strain' that 'no one really knew about'.

Mr Kirkham said: "We seem to have taken the brunt of it. We feel we have been hung out to dry a bit.

"We are devastated but we don't think we are linked to any kids being ill.

"We are part of a bigger investigation and we need to know we are clear and we have stopped any more cheeses going out.

"We have the first set of results back and we are negative so that's good."

He added: "But now we need to do further testing on the farm. However it is all slowed down because of the time of year".

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From the Mrs Kirkham's brand, the FSA has warned the public not to eat the following types of cheese:

• Mrs Kirkham's Mild & Creamy Lancashire
• Mrs Kirkham's Tasty Lancashire
• Mrs Kirkham's Mature Lancashire
• Mrs Kirkham's Smoked Lancashire

The brand has also since issued a statement on the homepage of its website to alert customers of the issue. Part of the statement reads: "We are assured that our local authority have not identified any issues or concerns in our manufacturing process. Furthermore all the early tests carried out by government laboratories on our cheese have come back negative.

"We are waiting for further tests to be collected and the results will take a few days to become available. The FSA is also continuing its investigations of other products with a view to identifying the source of the outbreak.

"In the meantime, at this time, we urge consumers to check whether they have bought or been gifted these products and ensure they follow the advice on Food.gov.uk. We also ask for anyone who has been ill to work with the authorities to provide information about foods they may have consumed to aid the investigation."

https://www.mrskirkhamscheese.co.uk

According to Amy Douglas, Incident Director for Gastrointenstinal Infections and Food Safety Division at UKHSA, symptoms of this particular strain of E.Coli include severe (sometimes bloody) diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever.

To avoid passing these symptoms onto others, she advises to "Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces will help stop infections from spreading. Don’t prepare food for others if you have symptoms or for 48 hours after symptoms stop."

It's also important to avoid visiting people in hospitals and care home settings and also not to return to work or school until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.