Be careful if you have recently purchased halal cold meats in a supermarket. Nearly ten references of this type of food product are the subject of a recall campaign, reports the government site Rappel Conso. The cause is a risk of the presence in these products of the bacteria “Clostridium botulinum”, the agent responsible for botulism.
A risk that should not be taken lightly. Botulism being “a rare disease but which can prove fatal in less than 5% of cases in France”, specifies on its website ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety). ). “Botulinum poisoning is characterized by neurological signs: sensation of blurred vision, drooping eyelids, speech problems, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, muscle weakness,” specifies the Rappel Conso website, emphasizing that “digestive signs (constipation, vomiting, diarrhea) often accompany neurological signs. The government platform adds that “these symptoms generally appear 12 to 72 hours after ingestion of contaminated food, but they can develop earlier or later (2 hours up to 10 days)”.
The products concerned are halal charcuterie products from the Isla Délice and Crystal brands (sausages, mortadella, poultry mousse), both belonging to the Amalric group, and sold throughout France, at all major distributors (Auchan, Aldi, Carrefour , Casino, Cora et Match, Intermarché, Leclerc, Lidl, Système U, Hmarket, Alphaprim), but also among retailers and wholesalers. The high-risk batches have been on the market since the end of November or the beginning of December, and some were still on the shelves a few days ago.
The manufacturer of these products justifies these recalls by “graying on the surface of part of our production, linked to a non-compliant supplier ingredient”. “This situation does not allow us to exclude a Clostridium botulinum risk,” he explains. Conso Recall recommends not consuming products marked as dangerous and returning them to the point of sale or destroying them directly.
