The FSA said it was too early to rule out the possibility of contamination at any stage of the production process as the investigation into the scare continues.
So far, three children from the same family in northern Scotland have been taken to hospital with suspected botulism. The siblings had all eaten the Loyd Grossman korma sauce, which was made by Premier.
The firm ordered a recall of a batch of 350g jars of the product, with a best before date of February 13, last Sunday (November 13).
Contamination
An FSA spokesman told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “This investigation is still on-going and no conclusions have been made about the source or cause of the contamination. It is premature to suggest that any stage of the production process has been given the all-clear.”
Last week the FSA announced that no contamination had yet been found at the firm’s factory in Bury St Edmonds which produces the Loyd Grossman sauce range.
Following the news, Peter Schnabl, Loyd Grossman’s agent, told FoodManufacture.co.uk that this proved both the firm and the TV presenter were not at fault. The contamination must have occurred further down the supply chain, he added.
Schnabl said: “The whole incident is obviously regrettable. But the FSA has found that no contamination occurred at the factory which means responsibility lies with the consumer or retailer.
“Everyone is trying furiously to find out what happened but as far as Premier and Loyd are concerned the FSA’s findings show that they are not at fault.”
Premier has distanced itself from Schnabl’s comments however and reiterated its support for the investigation.
Concerned
Bob Spooner, group supply chain director at Premier, said: “We remain very concerned for the family involved and very much hope the children recover fully.
“We are pleased that the FSA has found nothing, to date, to suggest that a problem occurred in our factory and we remain confident in the quality of our products and processes.
The company will continue to assist the authorities in any way we can to help find the true cause of the contamination, he added.
Meanwhile an informed scientific source, who asked not to be named, said that following the FSA’s findings, contamination is most likely to have occurred during transport or retail of the product.
He told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “Given that just one jar is contaminated it was more likely to not be a processing failure. In this instance it looks more like a post-process problem through potentially aggressive handling by the retailer or in the transport process.”