This particular outbreak of E.Coli is interesting because of the strain involved and the way in which the investigation was undertaken. (We can often learn more from failures than successes.)

In February 2006, 12 Norwegian children were diagnosed with E.coli poisoning.  The suspect food vehicle was raw ground beef produced by Gilde of Norway.  Health authorities advised that any packages of Gilde ground beef produced by the Gilde factory at Rudshogda in Hedmark should be returned to the store or destroyed.  (16/03/2006).

By 13th March the number of cases had risen to 15.

On 17th March Norway’s meat industry threatened to sue the FSA for compensation if consumers began returning ground beef products.  (The FSA had asked the public to return or destroy all raw, ground and processed beef products purchased from 1st January 2006 until 24th February 2006, regardless of produce.)

By 22nd March more E.coli cases had been notified and cured sausage produced by Gilde was now thought to be the likely food vehicle .  E.coli was found in an unopened package of Gilde Birkebeier Sognemorr.  The Norwegian FSA regretted that the original warning had not included the possibility of meats other than ground beef being the food vehicle.  (Edition note – as we are aware from John Barr cross-contamination of this low dose organism is a major problem.)  Even by the date (22/3/06) suspect meat was still being sold in the shops, despite a sales ban since 20th March 2006.

On 23rd March Gilde confirmed the company intended to change its name.

On 5th April ground beef was ruled out as a likely food vehicle.
In May 2006 a slaughterhouse in Meraker was identified as the probable source of the E.coli bacteria.  Gilde owns 34% of the slaughterhouse which supplied sheep meat to the Gilde factory where the E.coli bacteria were found and linked to the cured sausages.

Also in May 2006 the FSA charged Gilde with distributing cured meat between 7th and 25th April despite it being banned from sale.  Gilde explained the error in distribution being due to “a comma becoming a dash”.

On 19th May Gilde recalled 700 kilos of lamb roast after E.coli O103 was found in an unopened vacuum packed product.  Gilde also announced that they would voluntarily be offering compensation to the 18 victims of the outbreak (one child died).  The compensation would be additional to any money awarded by the courts.