A leading expert on E.coli has questioned the proportionality of a food watchdog's decision to issue a blanket ban on the sale of all cheeses from a producer linked to an outbreak in Scotland.
Professor Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, said Food Standards Scotland (FSS) had come down "very heavily" on Errington Cheese, stating there is a "real possibility" the organisation was "overinterpreting scientific evidence".
FSS has issued a blanket ban on the company's cheeses because they are "a potential risk to consumers' health".
Read more: Food watchdog bans Errington cheese sales amid E.coli outbreak
Errington Cheese, based in South Lanarkshire, had been linked to an E.coli outbreak in July in which 20 people were infected, including a three-year-old Dunbartonshire girl who died.
Health officials said investigations identified Dunsyre Blue cheese, produced by the firm, as the most likely cause of the outbreak and batches of the product were recalled.
Commenting on FSS's latest decision to issue a blanket ban, Prof Pennington told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "Food Standards Scotland is behaving in a very precautionary manner because, as I understand it, the scientific evidence that there's E.coli O157 in the cheese has not yet been produced.
"There is evidence that some people who ate the Dunsyre Blue cheese in July fell ill - a significant number of people who didn't eat it also fell ill, as I understand it."
He added that the "jury was still out" and while there may be a "moderately strong" case on Dunsyre Blue, there was "no scientific evidence" on any of the firm's other cheeses.
Read more: Food watchdog bans Errington cheese sales amid E.coli outbreak
"I think it raises the issue of proportionality - how dangerous are these cheeses and have they gone too far in saying none of these cheeses can now be sold," he said.
He said there was a question over whether officials had "gone too far in overinterpreting scientific evidence", adding: "I think that's a real possibility."
The ban involves Dunsyre Blue, Dunsyre Baby, Lanark Blue, Lanark White, Maisie's Kebbuck and Cora Linn.
In a statement, FSS said: "FSS is advising all consumers who have purchased these products not to consume them and to return the products to where they purchased them.
"Both O157 and non-O157 strains of E.coli have been detected in a number of different types of cheese produced by Errington Cheese Ltd.
"Symptoms caused by both O157 and non-O157 E.coli can include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure.
"Given the potential severity of illness and the very low doses of this bacterium required to cause illness, FSS believes this action is in the best interests of consumers."
Read more: Food watchdog bans Errington cheese sales amid E.coli outbreak
An FSS spokesman said the outbreak in South Lanarkshire and a more recent outbreak in Angus are not being linked.
NHS Tayside said it is investigating linked cases of E.coli O157 affecting a ''small number of children'' in the region, which has led to a play group being temporarily closed.
Errington Cheese has issued a statement stating all of its testing has found no trace of E.coli O157.
"We have used micro testing laboratories in the UK and Europe and found no trace of pathogens, we have shown results of all our testing and all local authority testing to date to various microbiological experts which has enabled us to come to this decision," the firm said.
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