The Tayto Group Ltd., which makes Mr Porky pork scratchings, has apologised to Cardiff woman Ruanda Davis after she became seriously ill when eating their product in 2021
A woman says a bad bag of pork scratchings left her suffering with diarrhoea for nearly a year after she was struck down in a major food poisoning outbreak.
Ruanda Davis, 64, became seriously ill just hours after eating Mr Porky pork scratchings in June 2021. She was later confirmed to have Salmonella as part of a UK-wide outbreak that left hundreds of people unwell.
The Mr Porky products, made by Tayto Group Ltd at a factory in Bolton, were recalled in September 2021 after 179 people were reported to have suffered diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. More than 100 people said they had become unwell after eating the snacks.
Ruanda, from Cardiff, said she had never been “so ill” in her life and that the effects of the illness are still with her today. She became violently unwell within hours of eating the pork scratchings and, because of her disability and impaired mobility, struggled to cope with the sudden gastric symptoms.
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In the early hours of the following morning, she fell while trying to get out of bed and sustained a head injury. An ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital, where she spent five days receiving IV fluids to treat dehydration. Tests later confirmed she had contracted Salmonella.
Although the vomiting eventually subsided, Ruanda continued to suffer from diarrhoea and abnormal bowel function for almost a year after being discharged from hospital.
Speaking for the first time about her illness, she said: “This experience has changed my life. The night I fell ill was terrifying. I was alone, struggling to get out of bed because of my disability, and ended up injuring myself which is how my daughter found me before being rushed to hospital.
“I’ve never been so ill in my life. Even after I came home I wasn’t the same. My health and confidence have suffered and even now, years on from my ordeal, I’m still a lot more careful about what I eat.
“One of the most worrying things is that what happened to me didn’t appear to be an isolated incident and many others appear to have suffered.
“People need to know how serious food poisoning can be. By sharing my story I hope food manufacturers take every possible step to keep their products safe and protect the public. I wouldn’t want anyone else to have gone through what I have.”
Tayto Group Ltd later appeared in court and pleaded guilty to two charges of placing unsafe food on the market and failing to protect food for human consumption from contamination. The company was fined.
Ruanda is among a number of people to receive compensation after a civil case brought against Tayto Group by law firm Irwin Mitchell. The firm secured a collective out-of-court settlement of more than £300,000 in a group action, although the company denied liability.
Nadhia Akthar, expert public health lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said after the hearing: “This case highlights the devastating impact that contaminated food can have on individuals and families. Bacterial illnesses such as Salmonella can often lead to ongoing and long-lasting health problems and even death. That’s why their severity should never be downplayed.
“Some of those we represented were hospitalised because of the seriousness of their symptoms and their complications. One person was forced to leave their job because of the continued impact of their symptoms while another’s business struggled because of their illness.
“Nothing will make up for what they’ve been through but we’re pleased to have secured settlements that will help our clients access ongoing support they need.”
Following the hearing, Tayto Group apologised for the harm caused. A spokesman said: “Tayto Group accepts the court’s decision regarding the incident at our Bolton factory in August 2021. We take this matter extremely seriously and apologise sincerely for the harm caused to those who were affected. The safety of our customers is our highest priority and we regret that we fell short on this occasion.
“Once made aware of the issue we voluntarily ceased production and initiated a full product recall of all products manufactured at our Bolton site. The court noted that Tayto Group offered very high levels of cooperation with the authorities beyond that expected, including voluntarily taking significant actions to remedy the problem. Since the incident we have improved our procedures to prevent a reoccurrence.
“We are committed to learning from this incident and our goal continues to be delivering the highest standards of food safety at all times.”
