Urgent ‘do not eat’ warning issued over supermarket lunch snack

An urgent “do not eat” warning has been issued over a popular egg pot at a major UK supermarket.

Customers have been warned that the egg and spinach protein pot at Waitrose has been withdrawn from shelves over fears it could be contaminated with salmonella and “may cause illness if consumed”.

The UK’s food standards regulator has issued an alert over the snack pot, saying it is a health risk as people who eat it could experience symptoms including fever, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps.

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The recall notice has been issued for the 90g Waitrose and Partners pot with the use-by dates 31 July 2025 and 1 August 2025.

Anyone who has purchased the pot has been advised to return it to the shop where it was purchased for a full refund.

“Waitrose is recalling Waitrose and Partners Egg and Spinach Protein Pot because it may be contaminated with salmonella,” a statement on the Food Standards Agency (FSA)’s website said.

“Symptoms caused by salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you should stay away from work, school, or nursery until you have stopped having symptoms for at least 48 hours to avoid passing it on to others.

“If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.”

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The warning does not affect any other products.

The supermarket recently pulled a popular ready meal from its shelves over allergy concerns. The Waitrose ‘Indian takeaway for two’ was recalled last week because it was found to contain sesame and soya, which are not mentioned on the label.

Tesco was also recently forced to recall a series of pasta salads after fears they were contaminated with salmonella, a species of bacteria that is one of the most common causes of foodborne illnesses globally.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data showed in July that salmonella cases in England are the highest they’ve been in a decade. There was a 17 per cent increase in cases observed from 2023 to 2024, culminating in 10,388 detected infections last year.