Skip navigation

Food Standards Agency

Saturday 4 July 2009

Safer food better business banner

AZ-Directory What's New

Food Standards Agency issues warning about spoiled smoked mackerel

Friday 31 October 2003

Ref: 2003/0428

The Agency is advising people against eating spoiled smoked mackerel, which has been on sale in a chain of supermarkets in the north-west of England.

Eating the fish, which has not been properly smoked, could result in food poisoning. The fish has been on sale in the Booths chain of supermarkets across the north-west of England.

Four people from Lancashire have suffered food poisoning after eating mackerel bought from the chain. The symptoms include nausea, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea.

The product, which has been withdrawn from sale, comes vacuum-packed and is labelled on the plastic pack as Booths Smoked Mackerel .

The affected batch has a use by date of 02.11.03. The product is marked as being suitable for home freezing. Anyone who has any of this fish at home in the freezer or fridge should throw it away.

The manufacturer, C&G Neve, based in Fleetwood, Lancashire, has established that the cause of the problem was a production fault, which resulted in the mackerel being smoked at a temperature that was not high enough to kill bacteria.

Back to top

Related links

Trade withdrawal of Booths brand smoked mackerel Read the food hazard warning

Room 245 Aviation House,
125 Kingsway,
London WC2B 6NH
Telephone: 020 7276 8888
Out of hours duty pager: 07623 978344
Fax: 020 7276 8833
Email: press.mailbox@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

Tell a Friend

Printer friendly

Contact us

Get alerts

Our Sites

Find out what our other sites have to offer

Change Text Only Settings

Graphic version of this page