Food safety warning as two hospitalised with botulism

Food Standards Agency: Issued alert over curry sauce.

Two Scots, understood to be children, have been hospitalised with botulism after eating from a jar of curry sauce.

The Food Standards Agency has warned the public not to consume jars of the Loyd Grossman korma sauce as it may pose a risk of botulism poisoning.

A batch of the sauce was being removed from shop shelves on Sunday evening.

In a statement, the agency said: "Only one jar from the batch is known to have been contaminated with the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, but the agency is advising people not to eat products from this batch as a precautionary measure.

"Two members of the same family who have contracted botulism and have eaten from a jar of this batch of sauce have been hospitalised in Scotland."

The recalled 350g jars have a best before date of February 2013 and bear the batch code 1218R 07:21.

The Health Protection Agency said preliminary tests had identified the toxin that causes botulism from the used jar. It has notified health professionals of the situation and has advised them to look out for people of all ages with possible symptoms.

Botulism is caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which attacks the nervous system.

An antitoxin, which is very effective in treating botulism, has been given to both patients – they are understood to be children.