Two hospital patients died after being served chicken mayonnaise sandwiches infected with listeria which was later traced back to a meat supplier, an inquest heard today.
Ex-nurse Beverley Sowah, 57, and retired pharmacy assistant, Enid Heap, 84, both died in 2019 at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Tests later revealed that they had both been infected by the same source, with Public Health England brought in to manage the outbreak after other hospitals reported cases.
Today an inquest into the two women’s deaths heard that the chicken had become contaminated with the potentially fatal infection at North Country Quality Foods (NCQF).
Listeria was also found on a sample of bacon dispatched by the now-defunct firm, based in Salford, Greater Manchester, the hearing was told.
Ex-nurse Beverley Sowah, 57, died in 2019 at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Pictured in 1994
![She died after being served chicken mayonnaise sandwiches infected with listeria which was later traced back to a meat supplier, an inquest heard. Pictured in 2008](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/11/18/82330315-13184191-image-a-9_1710181687019.jpg)
She died after being served chicken mayonnaise sandwiches infected with listeria which was later traced back to a meat supplier, an inquest heard. Pictured in 2008
![Retired pharmacy assistant, Enid Heap, 84, pictured in 2017, was infected by the same source](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/11/18/82330319-13184191-image-a-8_1710181682232.jpg)
Retired pharmacy assistant, Enid Heap, 84, pictured in 2017, was infected by the same source
Its managing director, Jeffrey Thomas, today accepted that this meant the meat must have become contaminated with listeria during the chopping process.
But he said it was still possible for infection to remain within safe levels if customers followed instructions on refrigeration and use-by dates.
The cooked, diced chicken was then transported to another firm, Good Food Chain (GFC), based in Staffordshire, where it was used to make sandwiches distributed to around 70 NHS trusts under the Whole Lotta Good brand.
While NCQF labelled the cooked chicken with a ‘use-by’ date of two days after opening, GFC extended this to three days to give hospitals time to serve the finished sandwiches.
Mrs Sowah was receiving palliative care for terminal cancer.
She was admitted to Manchester Royal Infirmary on April 15, 2019 over fears the disease had spread to her spine.
She was given a chicken mayonnaise sandwich on April 17 but later developed sepsis.
On April 26, tests revealed she was suffering from listeria infection, and she died later that day.
![Mrs Sowah was receiving palliative care for terminal cancer. She was admitted to Manchester Royal Infirmary on April 15, 2019 over fears the disease had spread to her spine](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/11/18/82330321-13184191-image-a-11_1710181696446.jpg)
Mrs Sowah was receiving palliative care for terminal cancer. She was admitted to Manchester Royal Infirmary on April 15, 2019 over fears the disease had spread to her spine
![Meat was produced by North Country Cooked Meats, based in Salford, Greater Mancheste r](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/11/18/82330195-13184191-image-a-5_1710181242692.jpg)
Meat was produced by North Country Cooked Meats, based in Salford, Greater Mancheste r
Mother-of-five Mrs Heap had been suffering from lung disease when she was admitted onto a different ward at the hospital on March 25, 2019.
On April 18 she was served with a chicken mayonnaise sandwich, but a listeria infection was not detected until May 3 and she died three days later.
With two cases in the space of a week, an ‘outbreak meeting’ was held the day after her death, hospital microbiologist Dr Kirsty Dodgson told the hearing.
However it was not until May 16 that lab results established that both Mrs Sowah and Mrs Heap had been infected by identical strains of listeria, showing they had caught it from eating the same batch of food.
By now, cases of listeria had been identified at other hospitals, and a national investigation was launched, the inquest jury heard.
Listeriosis – the illness caused by invasive listeria infection – kills around 60 per cent of sufferers with vulnerabilities such as weakened immunity, the hearing was told.
Giving evidence, NCQF boss Mr Thomas said meat was kept below 5C throughout the process of storing, dicing, packaging and delivery.
Initially GFC asked for chicken to be pasteurised as well as cooked, but it ended that requirement in 2016, he said.
Mr Thomas said it was down to manufacturers like GFC to follow safety rules, with packs of cooked chicken labelled to be used within two days of opening.
He said factory records and samples were examined by environmental health officials following the outbreak and he was later informed there was ‘no evidence’ of wrongdoing.
But he accepted that an opened pack of bacon supplied by NCQF to a different customer had been found to contain the same strain of listeria as that which contributed to the deaths of Mrs Sowah and Mrs Heap.
Mr Thomas agreed there must had been ‘cross-contamination at the dicing stage’.
But he insisted that even if the firm had sold meat products containing traces of listeria, these would not have reached harmful levels as long as they were handled properly in manufacturing and storage.
David Bell, business development manager at Good Food Chain, said it removed the requirement for cooked chicken to be pasteurised because of customer feedback that the meat turned into ‘paste’.
He agreed that GFC extended use-by dates by a day, with sandwiches marked as being safe to eat for three days – even though the chicken was marked with a two-day use-by date.
But Mr Bell insisted the product remained safe, saying two days wasn’t long enough for sandwiches to be produced, delivered and served.
He was first told of a ‘food safety issue’ on May 24, 2019, he said.
But GFC was later informed it was ‘no longer part of the investigation’ and could resume trading, Mr Bell added.
The firm has since closed down.
The inquest, which is expected to take up to five days, continues.