Inquiry into Mr Porky pork scratchings salmonella cases

Mr Porky products, made by Tayto Group, were recalled in September after 179 people were reported to have suffered diarrhoea, vomiting and fever following consumption.

A number were also reported to have been hospitalised, including Susan Williamson, 64, from Blackhall Colliery.

She was diagnosed with salmonella infantis, underwent a number of follow-up tests and was later diagnosed with heart failure.

She has now instructed public health experts at Irwin Mitchell to investigate how she fell ill and whether her heart failure is linked to her illness.

Mr Porky products are made by Tayto Group

She said: “The last few months have been an absolute nightmare and it doesn’t seem to be coming to an end anytime soon.

“When I fell ill after eating the pork scratchings, I thought it might make me a bit sick and off colour for a few days.

“Never did I ever imagine that it would lead to salmonella and I would still be suffering more than two months on.

“I’m still very unwell now and have been told I’ll need medical care for a long time.

“It’s been such a traumatic time for me and my family.

Mr Porky pork scratchings have been linked to the outbreak of salmonella 

Susan purchased a multipack of five bags of pork scratchings on August 3 and ate them over a few days.

She fell ill on August 8 and over the next few days she started suffer with sickness and diarrhoea and her symptoms also included hallucinations.

She contacted her GP and the NHS 111 service as her condition deteriorated over the following days.

On August 12, Susan was taken to hospital by ambulance and admitted.

She was put on a drip overnight and discharged the next morning,

Two days later, Susan was readmitted to hospital, diagnosed with salmonella infantis on August 17 and discharged on August 23.

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Susan subsequently consulted her GP surgery on various occasions, complaining of breathing issues, loss of appetite, fatigue and shaking.

On September 17, she attended hospital where she was given a chest X-ray.

An ECG was performed and she was found to have suffered heart failure and was readmitted to hospital.

Susan Williamson

Doctors have told Susan she will need ongoing care and a procedure on her heart.

Susan and her husband, Paul, had been due to go on a couple of holidays in their motor home but these were cancelled because of her illness.

Life has still not gone back to normal for Susan as she is still suffering tiredness and the complications arising from the salmonella.

Susan said: “It’s also very worrying to think that there could be more people out there suffering like I am, and we deserve to have some answers as to how this happened.

“I know an investigation can’t change what I’m going through, but at the very least it can hopefully help prevent it happening to others in the future.”

Irwin Mitchell is now instructed by eight people who say they have fallen ill after eating Mr Porky products.

Sebastian Thornton

Sebastian Thornton, 37, from Malton in North Yorkshire, said he ate Mr Porky pork scratchings as part of a Thai dish and shortly afterwards he fell ill on July 1 with fever, diarrhoea, sweats, and lethargy.

He also experienced shakes and was passing blood.

The self-employed professional joiner was hospitalised on July 4 as a result of his illness.

He was discharged two days later with antibiotics.

The impact of Sebastian’s illness lasted around six weeks, during which time he had to postpone any jobs booked in.

Sebastian said: “By the time I heard about the recall, I had already eaten the pork scratchings. Within a few days, I felt awful.

“I ended up having to go into hospital and after I was discharged I was told I had salmonella infantis. It was a huge shock. The impact of my illness lasted for around six weeks, so I wasn’t able to work during that time.

“It’s really worrying to think that so many other people have also been struck down with symptoms of salmonella.

“I feel it’s important that an investigation takes place to try and prevent this from happening to others in the future.”

The legal firm supports people affected by illness outbreaks such as the well-known outbreaks of salmonella at the Real China restaurant and the Newcastle Spice Festival, as well as the Chapman and Sons butchers’ salmonella outbreak in Blackhall Colliery in 2018.

Clare Pearson, the specialist public health lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Susan, said: “Susan is among a number of people who have been diagnosed with Salmonella Infantis and other illnesses after consuming pork scratchings.

“Not only is salmonella a serious bacterial infection, it can often lead to ongoing and long-lasting health problems, and even death.

“In some cases, salmonella has been known to have the ability to lead to cardiovascular complications.

“We’re now investigating how our clients fell ill and also whether Susan’s heart failure is linked to her salmonella infection.

“While we can’t change what Susan and the other people we represent are going through, we’re determined to get them the answers they deserve as to how this happened and will support them throughout the process.

“If any others have also fallen unwell like Susan after eating pork scratchings we would like to hear from them as this will assist us with our investigations.

“It’s also important that if during the course of our investigations any issues are identified, necessary lessons are learned to ensure food hygiene standards are met in the future.”

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At the time of the reports, Public Health England and the Food Standards Agency urged people not to eat packets with a best-before date up to February 2022.

A spokesperson said: “At Tayto Group, we take the safety of our products very seriously which is why we swiftly halted production and issued a product recall. “Since then, in conjunction with the relevant agencies, we have conducted a detailed investigation and implemented changes before restarting production.

“We have been in touch with a number of consumers directly and are working closely with them to resolve their concerns.

“We are very sorry to hear that a number of people are still feeling unwell and we wish them a speedy recovery.”

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