Man feared he might die after getting E.coli from a Boots wrap
'It should be safe for the general public to go to a shop and buy a sandwich that isn't going to cause serious illness or, in some cases, worse.'
A man who caught E.coli during the recent outbreak which swept the UK spent three days in hospital and feared he might die.
John Daniels became ill after eating a chicken and bacon Caesar wrap bought from Boots in May.
The recent outbreak, linked to lettuce used in pre-packaged sandwiches and wraps, made more than 200 people sick, with more than half hospitalised and one person dead from the illness.
Several products, including the wrap John ate, were recalled as a precaution.
Tesco and Asda are facing legal action after two people, including an 11-year-old girl, were hospitalised with E.coli after eating own brand sandwiches.
John, a 66-year-old chartered surveyor, told Sky News he still suffers with complications after spending three days in hospital and then later being readmitted.
He said: ‘I have never been in so much pain, absolutely excruciating pain.
‘What was going through my mind, especially when I had all the drips in and the painkillers weren’t working, was whether this was something more sinister and whether I was actually going to survive.
‘There was one particular night I was scared to go to sleep because I thought “I’m not going to wake up”.
The current E.coli outbreak is of the STEC strain, which is particularly nasty, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is still investigating the nationwide outbreak.
John, from Cheshire, was interviewed by the agency while in hospital and he’s now asked lawyers to investigate his case.
He explained: ‘It should be safe for the general public to go to a shop and buy a sandwich that isn’t going to cause serious illness or, in some cases, worse.
How to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal infections
- Regularly wash your hands with warm water and soap — alcohol gels do not kill all bugs that cause diarrhoeal illness
- Follow food hygiene measures such as washing fruit and vegetables and cooking food properly
- If you have diarrhoea and vomiting, you should not prepare food for others and avoid visiting people in hospitals or care homes to avoid passing on the infection
- You should not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped
‘It needs to be kept in the public eye that we can’t afford to let our food supply become affected like this.’
Greencore, the sandwich maker which supplies Boots, did not comment when approached by Sky News.
A Boots spokesperson said: ‘In response to Greencore’s product recall on 14 June 2024, Boots took the precautionary measure of recalling a number of its sandwiches and wraps.
‘There have been no positive results of STEC E.coli in any of the Food Standards Agency’s testing of our products.’
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