Lettuce likely came into contacted with water polluted with human faeces in France before being shipped to Danish retailers

More than 350 Danish consumers have been struck down by the norovirus, after eating suspect French lettuce reportedly covered in bacteria from human waste.

The Danish Food and Veterinary Administration announced the recall of all French-distributed Lollo Bionda lettuce at the end of January, and it has now been confirmed that it is the source of the illness.

Tests carried out on the lettuce, which was sold in SuperBest, Føtex, Netto and workplace canteens across Copenhagen, confirmed traces of bacteria commonly found in human faeces.

The DVFA said that the pollutant origin of the salad has not yet been traced, ‘but the find of different bacteria combined with the virus in some of the sick consumers can only indicate that the lettuce has been in contact with water polluted with human faeces’.