Vegetables are displayed in a supermarket in Santa Monica, California
Vegetables are displayed in a supermarket in Santa Monica, California October 3, 2007. Reuters

New Zealand is facing the outbreak of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, which has been described as a food poisoning epidemic. Already 127 confirmed cases have been reported and more than 38 people are in hospitals, hit by this stomach bug.

Based on the Environmental and Scientific Research (ESR) reports, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is at work to locate the possible source of the stomach bug. It has out a range of potential foods under their watch list. But so far ministry has not released any conclusive list.

Investigation On

Scott Gallacher, MPI Deputy Director said efforts to locate the source of outbreak will continue. He also said the available information is very basic and not conclusive, reported NZ Herald. "We are getting a lot of information and are investigating. So far it does not look like something limited to one supermarket chain", Gallacher added.

According to the report in Outbreak News Today, so far in October there had been 16 presumptive cases with 35 cases of hospitalization. The complaints in mid-September, Mr Gallacher said.

As part of the exercise to trace the source of the epidemic, a survey was carried out among 96 people affected by the illness. It was revealed that 87 of them had purchased lettuce. Barring some 17 respondents, others could not identify the brands they consumed.

Meanwhile, "Foodstuffs" confirmed that two of its products such as Pams Fresh Mesclun Salad Lettuce and Pams Fresh Express Lettuce have been named in the ESR reports. "Foodstuffs" is independently assessing whether its farms were free affected by possible contaminants prior to replanting. The MPI official Gallacher told APNZ that in the stomach bug, carrots and lettuce are suspected to be the culprits.

MPI Flayed

Meanwhile, Labour Party's food safety spokesman Damien O'Connor demanded the MPI to name the products listed in the ESR report. The spokesman said MPI is responsible either for lack of resources or incapacity to deal with food safety issues. He is it is a matter of concern for export sectors and added that the epidemic has validated Labour's demand to have a stand-alone food safety agency.