Dutch and British health officials advised people to avoid raw sprouts and seeds after scientists linked an outbreak of E. coli in France to a highly toxic one in Germany that has killed 47 people.
European Union farm ministers will try on Tuesday to agree financial aid for fruit and vegetable producers whose sales have been hit by an E.coli outbreak that has so far claimed at least 22 lives in Europe and triggered a scare in fresh produce consumption.
The deadly new strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) (E.coli) that is capable of spreading from person to person has now been detected in at least 12 countries, the World Health Organization said on Friday.