# 431
As recently as this morning, company officials at Bernard Matthews and government officials, were assuring the public that any potentially infected product that might have escaped the Suffolk plant posed no danger to the public, and therefore no recall was planned.
This latest assurance came, of course, after assurances were made earlier this week that no infected meat ever made it to processing, which has since been cast into doubt.
So it isn't terribly surprising that this evening, officials are discussing a recall of Bernard Matthews products. They say, of course, the product is still safe "as long as it is properly prepared'.
This from the BBCi
Turkey meat examined for bird flu
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is investigating whether meat infected with bird flu could have entered the food chain.
It reassured consumers that infected turkey posed no risk to human health if the meat was properly cooked.
But the government's chief scientist Professor Sir David King warned turkey products may have to be recalled.
Officials now believe the H5N1 strain of the virus found in Suffolk is linked to one found in Hungary last month.
A spokesman for Sainsbury's reported that the chain's poultry sales have dropped by 10% this week.
Bernard Matthews, the firm at the centre of the UK outbreak, has denied breaching rules on imports of meat.
The concern, as expressed thus far, is that raw scraps, wrappings, and containers could transfer the virus to wild birds or other hosts, thereby spreading the infection.
At last check (1800hrs EDT) of the Bernard Matthews Website here, their Avian Flu FAQ insists that their products are perfectly safe. In the Q&A section the following questions (among others) are posed.
Will Bernard Matthews remove its products from supermarkets?
No. None of our products will be recalled following the Food Standard Agency's advice that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.
Can I have a refund for the Bernard Matthews products I have already purchased?
Properly cooked Bernard Matthews products are perfectly safe to eat and advice from the Food Standards Agency states that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers, so refunds will not be given in this instance.
Followed, of course, by their `Quality Guaranteed' logo.
