New Zealand's largest grower of lettuce says none of its products have been linked to a nationwide outbreak of yersinia pseudotuberculosis.
LeaderBrand general manager Richard Burke said he was confident all company products were safe.
Mr Burke confirmed the Gisborne company supplied its own branded lettuce to supermarket owner Foodstuffs, but no LeaderBrand products had needed to be recalled.
"We spend a lot of money ensuring our systems are good and that's what we do, it's our role."
Mr Burke said the Gisborne-based company, which also has operations in Canterbury, had received no further information from Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), other than that already in the public domain.
"We don't have any more information that anyone else. We have not been contacted by MPI, so we have been working with our customers."
There have been 124 confirmed cases of yersinia and 18 presumptive (suspected but yet to confirmed) nationwide. A total of 38 people have been hospitalised from yersinia, which causes painful stomach cramps and can also mimic the signs of appendicitis.
Cases have mainly been reported in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, but reports have also come from the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Hawke's Bay and Otago/Southland.
There have been no cases in Gisborne.
MPI's investigation is over a range of foods but bagged lettuce has been linked to the majority of cases.
From the Gisborne Herald
