• Salud Ahorramas and Eroski withdraw packaged tortillas from the same supplier due to their possible link with cases of botulism

The Palacios Alimentación Business Group has alerted consumers this morning to refrain from ingesting and return in the store the packaged potato tortillas they manufacture and that has been linked to an outbreak of botulism that has left so far seven cases in several autonomous communities.

In a statement sent to EFE, the Palacios Group asks "all those who have purchased one of these products (Chef Select, Auchan, Eroski, Unide, Consum, DIA, Ametller, Condis, El Corte Ingles, Carrefour, Alipende and Rikissimo) to refrain from consuming it and proceed to return it to the point of sale where they purchased it, where its amount will be refunded. "

The company also says it has decided "voluntarily, as a precaution, to remove from the shelves of the points of sale the fresh packaged potato omelette to the plate produced in the Mudrian factory, as well as to temporarily stop its manufacture".

However, it maintains that "it has not been possible to establish evidence, neither in the products nor in the processes, that relate cause and effect" with respect to this company as the manufacturer of the product, as the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) assured on Tuesday in an informative note.

The outbreak of botulism associated with packaged potato omelettes has so far left seven cases, of which four – two citizens of Italy who consumed this product in Valladolid, one in Asturias and a fourth in Galicia – have been confirmed, and three – in Madrid, in Andalusia and in the Valencian Community – have a compatible clinical situation.

Both the two confirmed cases of Galicia and Asturias – two people of 49 and 50 years, respectively, who ate this product between June 19 and July 5 – and the probable one of Madrid – of 49 years and who began symptoms on the 10th – have required treatment in the ICU, as said by the Center for Coordination of Emergencies and Health Alerts (CCAES) in the report it has issued on this outbreak on Wednesday.

Inspections

The Palacios Group has assured that it has adopted all the necessary measures to detect "a possible cause" and its facilities "have already been inspected four times by the health authorities with favorable results," the statement said.

Food safety is a "priority" for the Palacios Alimentación Business Group, so "it regularly carries out control analyses of the presence of Clostridium botulinum and botulinum toxin". These analyses, according to the group, are part of the self-controls carried out in the company to reinforce the safety of its products, "without in any case the pathogen, nor its toxins, having been detected in any of the products".

The Palacios Alimentación Business Group has stressed that it is collaborating with the health authorities to clarify this episode "as soon as possible" and has apologized to its customers for the inconvenience that this disorder may have caused.

At the same time, it has made available to the client a telephone line with the number 941 27 77 00 from 10:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. and the email palacios@palacios.es "to clarify any doubts or concerns".

Botulism is a rare but serious disease, caused by a toxin that attacks the nervous system, and can cause shortness of breath, muscle paralysis and even death. Improperly packaged, preserved, or fermented canned foods at home can create the conditions necessary for bacteria to produce the toxin.

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