Pork supplier plays down hepatitis A concerns
ABC.NET.AU
Wednesday, 19/07/2006
One of the country's largest pork suppliers says there is little risk of its customers contracting hepatitis A, despite one of its staff falling ill from the virus earlier this month.
Toowoomba-based company KR Castlemaine Foods, in southern Queensland, is today advertising product recall notices in all national newspapers.
Over the next two days KR Castlemaine is recalling 6,000 cartons of product from across Australia.
The president of parent company Darling Downs Foods, Mike Adams, says the staff member has recovered from the potentially fatal virus, which she contracted from a friend visiting from overseas.
"Queensland Health has said that there is nothing wrong with any of the systems or any of the ways we manufacture or produce the product," he said.
The recall will see 17 lines of ready-to-eat products including shaved and sliced ham turkey and chicken replaced, and is expected to cost the company $500,000.
KR Castlemaine says its work agreements with pork suppliers and the company's 850 Toowoomba staff will not be affected.
