Olives recalled on botulism fears

ALMOND-stuffed olives with the Bio Gaudiano brand have been withdrawn from supermarkets in Saudi Arabia after the European Union's Rapid Alert System sounded an alert for Food and Feed (RASFF). "A warning has already been posted on the website of Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA) asking consumers in Saudi Arabia to take maximum precautions," the regulator was quoted by Arab News.

Bio Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed with Almonds have been linked to two cases of botulism in Helsinki, Finland, where two adults who ate the stuffed olives were hospitalised, and one subsequently died. Finland's EVIRA health authorities said tests confirmed that the jar from which they had eaten the olives contained botulinum toxin, which attacks the nervous system, and in its severe forms, can cause respiratory failure.

Tainted olives from the implicated batch were in 314ml glass jars with a 'best before' date of 09/2012. The Italian manufacturer Bio Gaudiano (www.bio-gaudiano.it/) said it has voluntarily recalled products in the market.