PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT any of the products recalled by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) due to the detection of listeria can receive a refund from where the food was purchased. 

Last week, an “extensive outbreak” of listeria resulted in the recall of 142 ready-made meals produced by Ballymaguire Foods.

Separately, seven spinach and mixed leaves products produced by McCormack Family Farms were recalled on Saturday due to the detection of listeria monocytogenes, with two more batches recalled on Monday. 

The full list of the dates of the affected products is available on the FSAI website.

Supermarkets impacted by the recalls include Tesco, Supervalu, Centra and Aldi.

According to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), people who bought any of the affected ready-made meals or spinach and mixed leaves products can return them to where they were purchased for a full refund.

“When a consumer buys a product, it must be fit for purpose. If a product is recalled then it is not fit for purpose. This means a consumer can return the product to the retailer where they bought it and receive a refund or a replacement,” a spokesperson told The Journal.

“Repair is also an available remedy but clearly it wouldn’t be appropriate for a food recall,” the spokesperson said, adding that their helpline had received three queries on the subject of refunds.

The UK’s Foods Standards Agency has also advised consumers in Northern Ireland to return the products to where they were bought for a full refund.

Some of the affected supermarkets have confirmed to The Journal that they are offering refunds for the affected products, adding that consumers do not need a receipt to receive their money back.

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A spokesperson for Tesco said: ”We are offering a full refund to customers on affected products returned to stores.”

Lidl, which stocks the affected spinach products, said that consumers “are asked to return the affected product to any Lidl Ireland or Lidl Northern Ireland store for a full refund, with or without a receipt”. 

The FSAI has requested that retailers remove the affected products from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.

Wholesalers and distributors are requested to contact their affected customers, recall the implicated products and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retailer customers.

Medical professionals are currently investigating the death of an adult with confirmed listeriosis, with nine people confirmed as having the infection.