Waitrose issues urgent ‘do not eat’ warning for popular pasta sauce over fears of deadly bug contamination

Waitrose has recalled pots of its own-brand pesto over fears they may be contaminated with potentially-deadly salmonella.

An alert issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) stated that the lethal bacteria has been detected in No1 Pesto alla Genovese with the use by date 26 September.

The major supermarket chain, known for its middle class clientele, warned consumers who’ve bought the fresh, basil-based sauce not to eat it. 

Waitrose has advised that customers can return the item, which costs £3.25, to their local branch where they will receive a full refund. 

In a notice to customers the supermarket said it ‘apologised’ for the inconvenience caused’.

Salmonella are a group of bacteria that infect the gut of farm animals — and can affect meat, eggs and poultry.

Symptoms of infection include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting and fever.

On average, it takes from 12 to 72 hours for the symptoms to develop after swallowing an infectious dose of salmonella.

They usually last for four to seven days and most people recover without treatment.

However some people, especially those with underlying conditions and pregnant women, can become seriously ill and require hospital treatment.

Data published in March revealed that salmonella-related hospitalisations had reached an all-time high.

Admissions for salmonella infections reached 1,468 in England between April 2022 and March 2023. 

A decade a go, this figure was 76 per cent lower, 834 admissions per year. 

The latest warning follows an outbreak of a toxin called Clostridium botulinum was found in number of jars of pesto sold in Paris. 

Five people were hospitalised as a result due to botulism — the illness caused by the bacteria that attacks the nervous system and is deadly in 10 per cent of cases. 

The sauce was sold at local festivals in Indre-et-Loire, with the first at the end of March 2024 and the latest in September.