UK: Salmon feared contaminated by diesel

Salmon withdrawn from sale in the UK amid contamination fears may have been tainted by diesel from a boat, the supplier said today.

Salmon withdrawn from sale in the UK amid contamination fears may have been tainted by diesel from a boat, the supplier said today.

Ten major grocery chains withdrew fish products from their shelves yesterday, with nearly 50 products withdrawn in total.

Marine Harvest Scotland (Ltd), the fish supplier, said the diesel may have come from a well boat used to transport the fish from a farm to a processing plant.

The company has suspended the boat from use while it investigates the source of the taint, and is looking at the whole production process as part of its inquiry.

The Food Standards Agency said it was “very unlikely” the taint would pose a risk to health.

In a statement, Marine Harvest said: “Some batches of salmon from Marine Harvest Scotland, harvested in early February, have a risk of a petroleum taint causing an unpleasant taste.

“The taint is caused by presence of substances grouped as ”aromatic hydrocarbons“ which are substances normally present in paint, thinners and petroleum based fuels

“We believe the taint may be caused by the presence of diesel from a well boat, and we have suspended the well boat from the operations as we are currently investigating the issue.

“Marine Harvest is cooperating very closely with its customers, UK Government agencies and other stakeholders to detect the cause of the quality issue.”

A company spokesman said that they would be looking at the whole process from farming through to packaging to trace the source of the contamination.

The company apologised for any inconvenience caused and said it had taken necessary measures in informing and cooperating with its customers, based on the precautionary principle.

Marine Harvest Scotland (Ltd) is based in Fort William in the Highlands, and has farms in the Western Isles, Lochaber, Wester Ross and Skye.

Marine Harvest also supplied salmon to Young’s Seafood, which produces own-brand products as well as pre-packed fish for other retailers.

The following chains withdrew products yesterday: Asda, Booths, Budgens, Co-op, Morrisons, Nisa-Today, Sainsbury’s, ShopRite, Somerfield and Tesco.

All the affected products have use-by dates between February 7 and 28.

News of contamination problems first broke on Wednesday when Morrisons recalled nearly 30 Scottish salmon products from its chiller cabinets and fresh fish counters.

Various salmon and smoked salmon products with use-by dates of February 10 to 13 inclusive were recalled.

Products subject to yesterday’s withdrawal include: prepacked Asda salmon fillets and steaks, Asda Extra Special fish pie, Co-op salmon fillets, Morrison’s lemon and pepper salmon fillets and smoked salmon parcels, Somerfield best-ever salmon, and Tesco’s salmon en croute and finest creamy fish pie.

Sainsbury’s has been hit particularly hard by the contamination, recalling 18 of its products yesterday.

In a statement yesterday the supermarket said: “Due to a potential taint in some salmon products from one of our suppliers, as a precautionary measure we have removed from sale a number of lines because the taint affects the taste.

“Sainsbury’s is committed to the highest standards and we can reassure our customers that there is no risk to health whatsoever from inadvertently eating affected products.”

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