Ballymaguire Foods temporarily suspends all production at one facility
Ballymaguire Foods has confirmed that it has temporarily suspended all production at one of its facilities as a "precautionary measure" following a recall of various branded prepared meals and side dishes.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued recall notices on various Ballymaguire Foods products "due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes".
The FSAI has warned that symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infection can "include mild flu-like symptoms, or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea".
"In rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications," it also added.
More than 100 individual branded dinners and side dishes have been recalled including for example Tesco Meals Made Easy Beef Lasagne, Supervalu Freshly Prepared Irish Beef Dinner and Centra Freshly Prepared Chicken Curry and Rice.
The FSAI has published a full list of the recalled products on its website and has requested retailers "to remove the implicated products from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale".
It has also advised wholesalers/distributors to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated products and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retailer customers.
Caterers should not use the implicated products, the FSAI added.
In a statement issued today (Wednesday, July 23), Ballymaguire Foods said it had "initiated a full precautionary recall of all products produced at one of our facilities following the identification of listeria bacteria as part of a quality control check".
It stated: "Incidents of this nature are extremely rare for us. We are treating it with the utmost seriousness and are working closely with all parties to manage the situation swiftly and responsibly.
"Immediately upon identifying the issue, we informed our retail and foodservice customers and engaged with all relevant authorities, including the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), the Health Service Executive (HSE), and our regional Environmental Health Officer.
"Through our retail partners, all products are being withdrawn from the shelves, and a full consumer communication process is underway."
The company has also detailed it made the decision on Saturday (July 19) to temporarily suspend all production at the affected facility.
"Our internal team, supported by independent external experts, conducted a comprehensive assessment and implemented immediate corrective actions.
"These included a full pharmaceutical-grade clean down of the facility. In consultation with the relevant statutory bodies and our customers, we will resume production once it is confirmed safe to do so.
"We sincerely apologise to our customers and consumers for the concern this may cause," Ballymaguire Foods stated.
