Supermarkets Cora, Match & Smatch have recalled packs of Scottish smoked salmon due to Listeria contamination https://t.co/gRpaGN0JyX
The photo used on the offending packaging is of Eilean Donan castle where they filmed Highlander & the loch where @MowiScotlandLtd farm salmon pic.twitter.com/wK7uK5ODFd— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 6, 2022
The Brussels Times reported on Saturday (5 February 2022):
Scottish salmon recalled by supermarkets due to listeria contamination @ScotlandSalmon https://t.co/gRpaGN0JyX
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 5, 2022
Scamon Scotland today wrote to the supermarkets Cora, Match and Smatch involved in the recall of listeria contaminated Scottish salmon asking which salmon farm and which company the products were sourced from.
Food Alert: Listeria Contamination of Scottish Salmon – Is Mowi the guilty party? https://t.co/vybX02bJBM@MowiScotlandLtd @1EileanDonan @foodgov @FSScot pic.twitter.com/TjoNEwvPYL
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 8, 2022
The marketing image in the Cora packaging featured in the Brussels Times article clearly shows Eilean Donan castle near the village of Dornie in the Highlands of Scotland.
Exclusive: sneak preview of Visit Scotland's new promo for 'Highlander' Scottish salmon – fresh from Loch Alsh & Duich in the shadow of Eilean Donan castle. Sean Connery loves listeria contamination! https://t.co/vybX02bJBM @VisitScotland @janicemacgregor @ScotlandSalmon @FSScot pic.twitter.com/qXzcfpiRKQ
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 8, 2022
Eilean Donan castle featured in the Sean Connery film 'Highlander' and "is recognised as one of the most iconic images of Scotland all over the world" (according to the website of Eilean Donan castle).
Eilean Donan castle Tweeted their disgust this morning!
This company does NOT have authorisation to use our image, and we have no affiliation with them whatsoever.
— Eilean Donan Castle (@1EileanDonan) February 8, 2022
As boss @CoraFrance (as well as Smatch & Match supermarkets via Delhaize @DelhaizeFR) will you please stop using a picture of Eilean Donan castle to promote listeria contaminated Scottish salmon? @ludomoscou03
Eilean Donan castle objects! @1EileanDonan https://t.co/vybX02bbMe pic.twitter.com/tA4itUz8Nx— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 9, 2022
The listeria contamination recall appears to have affected supermarkets in Luxembourg as well as Belgium.
Will Cora supermarkets please stop using an image of Eilean Donan castle to market listeria contaminated Scottish salmon? @CoraFrance @1EileanDonan @MowiScotlandLtd @BrusselsTimes @supermarchematc #Listeria #Cora https://t.co/vybX02bJBM https://t.co/QbDaEjikdT pic.twitter.com/yVo0qqQjbf
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 8, 2022
Eilean Donan castle proudly sits at the confluence of Loch Alsh, Loch Duich and Loch Long where Norwegian salmon farming giant Mowi (formerly called Marine Harvest) has three disease-ridden salmon farms at Ardintoul, Duich and Sron (Dornie is where Eilean Donan castle stands).
Mowi's salmon farm at Ardintoul in Loch Alsh – within striking distance of Eilean Donan castle – was the scene of a fatality when Mowi worker Clive Hendry tragically died in February 2020 leading to legal action against Mowi.
The Times on @MowiScotlandLtd being sued by the widow of worker Clive Hendry who was killed at a salmon farm in Loch Alsh (Mowi were found negligent by a damning @maibgovuk report) @thetimes https://t.co/iNemRUqcBy @ScottishHazards @MCA_media @H_S_E @_KateForbes @ScotlandSalmon pic.twitter.com/WYRzhLCT1b
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 23, 2021
The Times reported (23 November 2021):
Mowi (they changed their name in 2019 due to "negative consumer perception" in the name Marine Harvest) have an appalling track record in Loch Alsh and Loch Duich. Scottish Salmon Watch reported in January 2020:
Moribund Mowi: "At the time of the visit moribund fish & some floating mortalities were observed in all cages" @marinescotland https://t.co/qr0tO3BMVR 73,459 morts (3,221 due to concussions from increased Caligus burdens), Salmon Gill Poxvirus, AGD & Anaemia @MowiScotlandLtd pic.twitter.com/GulKfO5p5z
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) January 27, 2020
First official photos of lumpfish on salmon farms published by @marinescotland Infected with Aeromonas salmonicida (Furunculosis), Vibrio & Shewanella @MowiScotlandLtd https://t.co/qr0tO3BMVR 17,000 dead leading to treatment with antibiotic (Aquatet/Oxytetracycline) @APHAgovuk pic.twitter.com/nYXDBnWfkx
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) January 27, 2020
Scamon Scotland today also wrote to Eilean Donan castle – owned by the MacRae family – asking if they support the use Eilean Donan on packaging for listeria contaminated Scottish salmon.
The issue of listeria contamination lurking in smoked salmon is a perennial problem for the salmon farming sector. I reported back in 2017:
Download a FOI reply (December 2016) from the Food Standards Agency on listeria contamination in farmed salmon online here
Includes:
A scientific paper published in the Journal Food Control in 2014 reported:
Food Safety News reported in 2013:
The Sunday Times reported in 2013:
The Sunday Times reported in 2004:
Another article published in The Sunday Times in 2004 reported:
The Sunday Herald reported in 2003:
Food Safety News reported in December 2021:
Read the Norwegian Food Safety Authority report in full online here
Scamon Scotland today (8 February 2022) filed Freedom of Information requests with the UK's Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland for information on listeria contamination in Scottish farmed salmon (99% of which is controlled by six foreign multinationals with Norwegian salmoney controlling ca. 80% of production).
Read more via:
Listeria Contamination in Farmed Salmon
Farmed & Dangerous Salmon – the most contaminated food on the supermarket shelf
FDA Health Warning for Scottish Farmed Salmon
Death Toll Rises to Three – 950 People Infected from Farmed Salmon!
Norwegian Farmed Salmon: the Source of the Salmonella Outbreak?
Sicko Salmon – ABC News on "Horrible" Norwegian Farmed Salmon
Appendix:
From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Feb 8, 2022 at 8:01 AM
Subject: FOI re. listeria and salmon since 4 May 2018
To: <foi@food.gov.uk>; <openness@fss.scot>
Please provide information on listeria in salmon since 4 May 2018.
Please include test results, food surveillance, sampling, results, emails, letters, warnings and any other information on listeria and salmon.
Please include any correspondence with the EU, government agencies, supermarkets, salmon farming companies and any other parties in relation to listeria and salmon.
As background, the FSA replied to a FOI request on listeria in salmon back in December 2016: online here
This included:
In March 2018, Food Standards Scotland denied via a FOI reply having any information on listeria in Scottish farmed salmon:
When pressed, Food Standards Scotland admitted in April 2018:
From: <openness@fss.scot>
Date: Thu, Apr 5, 2018 at 3:30 PM
Subject: RE: FOI re. disease, viral & bacterial testing of Scottish farmed salmon
To: <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Hi Don
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has not commissioned any food sampling work since 1 January 2017 which has specifically targeted salmon or salmon products (farmed or wild). It is important to note that it is the responsibility of food business operators to demonstrate the safety of their products and it is not within FSS’s remit to undertake routine microbiological sampling of food. Food sampling is undertaken by Local Authorities (LAs) as a means of verifying that food producers are complying with food safety legislation. FSS collects LA sampling data centrally on the food surveillance system database, however this data is not broken down in a way that would allow Scottish farmed salmon products to be distinguished from wild salmon.
The data held on the Food Surveillance System database from 1st January 2017 to date shows that a total of 188 samples of salmon products were subjected to microbiological testing. Of these samples, 24 were found to be unsatisfactory, all of which were ready to eat processed salmon products. Of these unsatisfactory results, 21 were due to levels of non-pathogenic indicator bacteria which are indicative of poor hygiene controls during processing and would not be considered a risk to human health. The other 3 samples failed due to the presence of Listeria species (which can contaminate ready to eat products during processing), but the levels detected were below legal food safety limits. It is important to note that these results would have been followed up by Local Authorities and appropriate action taken to ensure the public was protected from any potential risks.
Regards
Stuart Keith
Openness & Correspondence Officer
Food Standards Scotland
Pilgrim House, Old Ford Road, Aberdeen, AB11 5RL
01224 285100
In May 2018, Food Standards Scotland provided data on listeria contamination of salmon products in a FOI reply:
An Excel spreadsheet was disclosed but it is 'Read Only' so it is impossible to share:
Scamon Scotland published a blog earlier today reporting on the latest listeria contamination alert for Scottish salmon via:
Food Alert: Listeria Contamination of Scottish Salmon – Is Mowi the guilty party?
Please consider this a formal request for information under the relevant FOI and Environmental Information regulations.
Please provide the information electronically.
Please provide a receipt for this FOI request.
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, Scamon Scotland
Date: Tue, Feb 8, 2022 at 7:01 AM
Subject: Eilean Donan castle image used to promote listeria contaminated Scottish salmon
To: <info@eileandonancastle.com>