Victims of a salmonella outbreak in the UK linked to German eggs will be awarded £275,000.
A total of 28 people fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea after eating at The Real China restaurant in Eastleigh, Hampshire, in July 2014.
The outbreak originated from an egg producer in Germany.
The compensation claim was handled by specialist health lawyers at Irwin Mitchell. The firm said its clients fell ill after dining at the restaurant between July 11 and July 24 in 2014.
As a result of their symptoms, many of those affected were forced to take time off work and seek medical treatment after developing symptoms including diarrhoea and vomiting, said the lawyers.
Irwin Mitchell said it transpired that the problems were linked to a wider national outbreak of salmonella. This led to Public Health England investigating after experts tested samples and understood that it could have been linked to a single source of eggs. The source was traced to Germany.
Irwin Mitchell’s legal experts secured a £275,000 settlement from the restaurant’s insurers for the 28 people affected.
Amandeep Dhillon, partner and head of Irwin Mitchell’s public health team, said: “This case is just one of many we have seen where people have eaten out and fallen ill through no fault of their own.
"Food poisoning can have a huge impact on the lives of victims, and severe foodborne infections such as salmonella can leave them needing specialist treatment and requiring time off work.
“Sadly, many of those we represent have also been left with lasting health problems from which they may never fully recover.
“Whilst we are delighted to have secured our clients justice, our primary hope is that lessons have now been learned from this and other outbreaks so that the problems are avoided in the future. Food businesses, from takeaways to restaurants must always ensure that food hygiene and the safety of consumers is their key concern.”
'Absolutely horrendous'
Among the victims represented by the firm was school teacher Sarah Wilkins, 47, from Hampshire, who developed food poisoning symptoms after eating at the restaurant.
She said: “The illness was absolutely horrendous and it had a huge impact on my life. The symptoms were so severe that I had no choice but to go to the GP. I was asked to provide a stool sample, which proved positive for salmonella.
“I needed a full week off work as a result of my symptoms and now, four years on, I still suffer from symptoms including occasional bloating, discomfort and other issues, which have been linked to my initial salmonella infection.
“It is hard to believe just how much this illness has affected me, but following news of the settlement I am hoping to try and put all of this behind me. I only hope that steps have been taken to ensure that an outbreak like this never affects anyone else going forward.”
The British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) says its Lion code of practice is the UK’s most successful food safety scheme. More than 90 per cent of UK eggs are produced to British Lion standards and more than 150 billion British Lion eggs have been produced since its launch in 1998.
It says the Lion scheme has effectively eliminated salmonella from British Lion eggs. All eggs that carry the British Lion mark meet the stringent requirements of the British Lion code of practice, which ensures the highest standards of food safety, it says.
BEIC says the independently audited code contains strict food safety controls above and beyond EU and UK legislation, and covers more than 700 auditable points from salmonella vaccination to complete traceability of hens, eggs and feed.
In June this year eggs contaminated with salmonella were recalled by the authorities in a number of German states. According to information on a German Government-run site, a batch of organic eggs was found to have been infected with salmonella enteritidis. The recall affects 11 German states.
According to the German Government site, the salmonella contamination affected the states of Baden-Wurttemburg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. The infections were reportedly discovered during a routine testing procedure.
The infected organic eggs were stocked by several major German retailers, including Penny, Kaufland, Aldi Nord, Aldi Sued, Real, Lidl and Netto.
Salmonella contamination has been a recurring problem in egg imports to the United Kingdom.
'Recurring'
The British Egg Industry Council has welcomed the news, saying such safety scares are a “recurring”.
Andrew Joret, British Egg Industry Council Chairman said: “While it’s good news that the victims of this outbreak have been awarded compensation, we hope it will encourage more caterers and consumers to look for the additional safety values of the Lion so it doesn’t happen again.
“The independently audited British Lion scheme ensures the highest standards of food safety and has effectively eliminated Salmonella from British Lion eggs.
Mr Joret added: “In 2017 the Food Standards Agency confirmed that Lion eggs are the only ones that are safe to be consumed runny, or even raw, by everyone including vulnerable groups.”
Food safety issues such as the fipronil scandal and fears about the effects of Brexit on cross-Channel trade are boosting demand for home-produced eggs for processing.
