Sainsbury's recalls watercress after 18 fall ill in E.coli outbreak Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has recalled all of its own-brand bagged watercress after 18 people fell ill in an E.coli outbreak. Public Health England (PHE) said the outbreak, which has affected one person in Scotland and four in Wales, appeared to be linked to contaminated leaves. Some of those infected have been treated in hospital. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) put out a recall notice for Sainsbury's own-brand products that contain watercress as a "precautionary measure." Anyone who has bought watercress from the supermarket since August 1 is advised not to eat it. A statement on the FSA website said no other Sainsbury's products are thought to be affected, adding: "Investigations by the Food Standards Agency, Public Health England and local authorities are continuing and further information will be provided once it becomes available. Sainsbury's has informed the FSA that it is carrying out testing on all of its affected lines, but that no trace of E.coli O157 has been detected to date. A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said "The Food Standards Agency has made us aware that a small number of people have fallen ill with a bacterial infection, and that one of their lines of investigation is watercress bought at Sainsbury's since 1st August. Customer safety and the quality of our food are our overriding concern and so, although no traces of contamination has been found in our products, we have as a precautionary measure withdrawn six lines of pre-packed salad containing watercress from the supplier concerned. We are urgently testing all similar products and have to date found no indication of contamination. We will of course keep customers fully updated. Customers who have bought any of these products from Sainsbury's since August 1 should not consume them. They can be returned to store for a full refund. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause. The products recalled by Sainsbury's are: Sainsbury's Watercress Leaves, 75g Sainsbury's Watercress, Spinach and Rocket salad, 100g Sainsbury's Watercress, Spinach and Rocket, 170g Sainsbury's Watercress twin pack, 2 x 35g So Organic Watercress, 75g So Organic Watercress, Spinach and Rocket, 100g