Several supermarkets in the Republic have taken sesame seed mixes supplied by Northern Ireland firm Kestrel Foods from their shelves over fears of salmonella poisoning.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said Tesco, Superquinn and Supervalu had all been told to withdraw the batches after routine testing in the UK found traces of the bug.

Professor Alan Reilly, FSAI chief executive, said consumers were at a risk as the product does not need to be cooked before eating.

“The FSAI is concerned that the product could cause food poisoning if consumed,” Prof Reilly said.

“Consumers who have affected product are advised to dispose of it or return it to the store where it was purchased.”

The FSAI contacted stores to which Kestrel Foods supplied these products to ensure that all affected batches are being withdrawn from sale.

A spokesman for Craigavon-based Kestrel Foods said that the withdrawn products were all part of one batch from a supplier, the majority of which had tested negative for salmonella.

Most of the potentially at risk packets were removed at store warehouse level or taken off shelves before being purchased, he said.

The spokesman stressed that the action had been taken as a precautionary measure and added that there was only a small amount of risk with any bags of seeds that had been purchased as most of them only contained around 20% sesame seeds.

No products in Northern Ireland were affected as seeds were from different batches or suppliers, the spokesman added.

Kestrel Foods was formed in 1996 by Michael and Lorraine Hall. The company imports dried fruit, nuts and seeds from global markets and sells the produce in various mixes.