(Health) Listeriosis - food recalls etc Australia, USA etc

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I have heard there are big meat food recalls happening in the USA

due to Listeriosis.

Apparently there has also been an outbreak of Listeriosis in Australia.

I guess vegans have the edge healthwise in cases such as this.

Kind regards,

Marguerite

 

Source: New York Times.com / AP 14 Oct 2002 [edited]

<http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Meat-Recall.html>

Bacteria Fears Prompt Largest Ever U.S. Meat Recall

----------------------

Poultry processor Pilgrim's Pride is recalling 27.4 million pounds of

cooked sandwich meat after warnings of possible contamination from

_Listeria monocytogenes_, the largest meat recall in US history. The

company pulled 295 000 pounds of turkey and chicken products

Wednesday 9 Oct 2002, but expanded the recall over the weekend after tests

came back

positive for a strain of the potentially fatal bacteria, the company said

Sunday, 13 Oct 2002.

 

The nationwide recall covers meat processed at the company's plant in

suburban Franconia from 1 May through 11 Oct 2002. The recall covers deli

meat primarily sold under the company's Wampler Foods brand, though it is

also sold under brands including Block & Barrel, Bonos, Golden Acre,

Reliance, and a variety of private labels. The products include turkey and

poultry sold freshly sliced or made into sandwiches at deli counters and in

individually sold packages of sliced deli meats.

 

Because consumers might not have access to the meat's original packaging,

the best way to know whether a product falls under the recall is to ask if

it comes from a package that bears the plant number P-1351 inside the U.S.

Department of Agriculture mark of inspection, said company spokesman Ray

Atkinson. Production dates also can be found on that part of the

label. The deli products were sold in retail groceries, in delicatessens

and by food service distributors.

 

Consumers were urged by the company to return any affected meat to the

store or deli where it was purchased for a full refund. The discovery

followed an investigation of a listeria outbreak in 8 northeast states

since early summer that caused at least 120 illnesses and 20 deaths, the

 

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said. ``We want consumers to be

aware of the recall because of the potential for foodborne illness,'' said

Dr. Garry L. McKee, the inspection service's administrator.

No products have been linked to that outbreak, said David Van Hoose,

Wampler's chief executive officer. The genetic strain that caused the

outbreak is different from the strain found at the plant, officials

said. " We don't have any scientific evidence at this point that there is a

connection, but our analysis of sampling in that plant is not complete,''

said the USDA's Steven Cohen. He said the recall was the largest in U.S.

history.

 

Company officials said the recall didn't include fresh turkeys, and that it

should have no effect on the holiday season.

Listeria can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea,

according to the USDA. It can be fatal in young children, the elderly and

people with weak immune systems and can cause miscarriages and

stillbirths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site for

listeriosis recommends that left-over or ready-to-eat foods should be

cooked until steaming hot before eating.

 

The company said it halted all production Saturday at the plant about 25

miles north of Philadelphia so that it could be thoroughly cleaned. The

meat being recalled makes up roughly 6 percent of the company's total

poultry production, Van Hoose said. The company didn't say how much revenue

it would lose as a result of the shutdown.

 

The largest previous meat recall in US history was in 1997, when Hudson

Foods recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef after 15 people in Colorado

fell ill from _E. coli_ after eating hamburger from its plant in Columbus,

Neb. The Wampler recall comes less than 3 months after ConAgra Beef

recalled nearly 19 million pounds of ground beef because of _E. coli_

contamination at its plant in Greeley, Colo.

--ProMED-mail<promed

 

[Although this contamination was discovered in the search for the origin of

the multistate outbreak of listeriosis in the northeastern USA, genetic

testing has found that the recall and outbreak strains are not the

same. Deli meats are always a significant concern in the spread of

listeriosis since they are ready to eat. The size of this recall

reemphasizes the potential for food-spread illnesses in today's world. -

Mod.LL]

 

Date 06:06 Oct 16

Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Listeriosis - USA (multistate) (08)

 

LISTERIOSIS - USA (MULTISTATE) (08)

************************************

Source: CDC Press Release 15 Oct 2002

<http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r021015.htm>

 

 

Update: Listeriosis Outbreak Investigation

------------------------

CDC, state and local health departments, and the United States Department

of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) have been

investigating an outbreak of listeriosis, primarily affecting persons in

the northeastern United States. Thus far, 46 ill persons infected with the

outbreak strain of Listeria have been detected since mid-July; most were

hospitalized, 7 have died, and 3 pregnant women have had miscarriages or

stillbirths. Epidemiologic data indicate that precooked, sliceable turkey

deli meat is the cause of this outbreak.

 

As part of the outbreak investigation, the United Stated Department of

Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) obtained

food and environmental samples from Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, located in

Franconia, Pennsylvania. One food product and 25 environmental samples

tested positive for Listeria. USDA-FSIS laboratories performed DNA

fingerprinting on these bacteria. Comparison of different strains was

conducted through PulseNet, which is a network of public health and

regulatory laboratories that perform DNA fingerprinting of bacteria and

electronically share results. The food product had a strain of Listeria

different from the outbreak strain. Of the 25 environmental Listeria

strains fingerprinted, 1 matched that of the food product and 3 matched

that of patients in the current outbreak. On 13 October 2002, the plant

voluntarily shut down operations and issued a recall of approximately 27

million pounds of fresh and frozen ready-to-eat turkey and chicken products

produced since May 1, 2002. Turkey meat products included in the recall

should not be eaten. Information on specific products and brands covered by

the recall is available at:

<http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/recalls/prelease/pr090-2002.htm>.

 

Listeriosis is a serious foodborne disease that can be life-threatening to

certain individuals, including the elderly or those with weakened immune

systems. It can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.

The affected patients live in 8 states: Pennsylvania (14 cases), New York

(11 cases in New York City, 7 in other locations), New Jersey (5 cases),

Delaware (4 cases), Maryland (2 cases), Connecticut (1 case), Michigan (1

case), and Massachusetts (1 case). Twenty-eight patients were male and 18

were female. Fifteen patients were age 65 or above, 14 patients were age 1

to 64 years and had an immunocompromising medical condition, 7 others were

pregnant, and 3 were neonates; 6 patients were age 1 to 64 years and were

not pregnant or known to have an immunocompromising condition. Of the 7

patients who died, 6 had immunocompromising conditions (3 of these patients

were also age 65 or older), and one was a neonate. The most recent patient

became ill on September 30.

 

In addition to the patients whose illnesses have been confirmed as part of

the outbreak, CDC and state and local health departments have learned about

other cases of Listeria infection in the same region during the outbreak

time period. DNA fingerprinting has shown that strains from 64 patients in

these same states are different from the outbreak strain and 18 of these

patients have died; these illnesses are part of the " background " of

sporadic Listeria infections and are likely due to a variety of different

foods. In addition, testing of strains from several additional persons is

ongoing, some of these may be identified as the outbreak strain. Because

pregnant women, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems are

at higher risk for listeriosis, we recommend the following measures for

those persons:

 

Do not eat hot dogs and luncheon meats, unless they are reheated until

steaming hot.

 

Avoid cross-contaminating other foods, utensils, and food preparation

surfaces with fluid from hot dog packages, and wash hands after handling

hot dogs.

 

Do not eat soft cheeses such as Feta, Brie and Camembert cheeses,

blue-veined cheeses, and Mexican-style cheeses such as " queso blanco

fresco. " Cheeses that may be eaten include hard cheeses; semi-soft cheeses

such as mozzarella; pasteurized processed cheeses such as slices and

spreads; cream cheese; and cottage cheese.

 

Do not eat refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads. Canned or shelf-stable pâtés

and meat spreads may be eaten.

 

Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked

dish, such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon,

trout, whitefish, cod, tuna or mackerel, is most often labeled as

" nova-style, " " lox, " " kippered, " " smoked, " or " jerky. " The fish is found in

the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and

delicatessens. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood may be eaten.

 

Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or eat foods that contain

unpasteurized milk.

 

About 2500 cases of listeriosis occur each year in the United States. The

initial symptoms are often fever, muscle aches, and sometimes

gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. The illness may be

mild and ill persons sometimes describe their illness as flu-like. If

infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff

neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur. Most cases of

listeriosis and most deaths occur in adults with weakened immune systems,

the elderly, pregnant women, and newborns. However, infections can occur

occasionally in otherwise healthy persons. Infections during pregnancy can

lead to miscarriages, stillbirths, and infection of newborn infants.

Previous outbreaks of listeriosis have been linked to a variety of foods

especially processed meats (such as hot dogs, deli meats, and paté) and

dairy products made from unpasteurized milk.

 

The risk of an individual person developing Listeria infection after

consumption of a contaminated product is very small. If you have eaten a

contaminated product and do not have any symptoms, we do not recommend that

you have any tests or treatment, even if you are in a high risk group.

However, if you are in a high risk group, have eaten the contaminated

product, and within a month become ill with fever or signs of serious

illness, you should contact your health care provider and inform him or her

about this exposure.

 

United States Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Office of Communication

Division of Media Relations

 

--

ProMED-mail

<promed

 

[This is an excellent example of using environmental sampling to identify

potential sources of contamination. In this case, sampling of precooked

turkey deli meat from the implicated producer did not yield isolates of the

" outbreak " strain of listeria (see ProMED-mail posting Listeriosis, poultry

- USA: recall 20021014.5550); yet environmental sampling from the factory

producing the epidemiologically implicated precooked turkey deli meats did

yield one isolate that was identified by DNA fingerprinting to be identical

to the outbreak strain. It's fascinating to see the " marriage " of

laboratory, environment and epidemiology as a unified approach to

investigate outbreaks. - Mod.MPP]

 

Recalls & Surveillance---------------------------

Food Standards Australia New Zealand

Date Notified To FSANZ:1 Oct 2002

Food Product: Sliced cooked cold meatsName of Product:Sliced roast beef

Sliced roast lambSliced roast porkShaved cooked silverside

4x4 sliced shoulder hamHungarian and Danish salamiChicken roll

Package Description & Size: Products are sold in clear vacuum packs with

use by date and scale ticket on outside. (Scale ticket has net weight,

ingredient list, etc)

 

Use By Date Or Lot Code: Various use by dates: from 10 Sep 2002 to 9 Nov

2002

Distribution: Queensland - Cairns area only

Reason for Recall: _Listeria monocytogenes_ detected during routine company

testingComments: Byrnes Quality Meats is conducting a voluntary recall of a

variety of their sliced cooked meat products. The products are: Roast Beef,

Roast Lamb, Roast Pork, sliced 4x4 shoulder ham, shaved sliced cooked

silverside, Danish salami, and Hungarian salami purchased from either the

Byrnes Wholesale Meats store in Manunda or Portsmith Bulk Meats in

Portsmith since 10 Jul 2002.

 

The recall has been issued because routine company testing has detected

_Listeria monocytogenes_. The above products have been sold in

vacuum-sealed packs ranging in size from 250 grams to one kilogram with a

" use by " date between 10 Sep 2002 and 11 Nov 2002.

 

Listeria may cause illness in pregnant women, the very young, the elderly,

and people with low immune systems. Any customer concerned about their

health should contact their doctor.

 

Customers are asked not to consume the above products. They should return

them to the place of purchase for a full refund. The recall applies only to

the above products with the above use by dates. No other products are

affected by this recall.

 

Further information can be provided from the company on (07) 4053 4522--

Byrnes Quality MeatsPO Box 207Manunda QLD, Australia

[We have also heard from a reliable source that there have been no reported

human cases to date associated with consuming this product, and that the

company involved conducted a similar consumer level recall in June 2002 on

2 of its products due to presence of Listeria. - Mods. MPP/JW]

 

[in the light of this information, there is probably no cause for alarm.

The products have been on sale in stores in only 2 towns in the Cairns

region of northern Queensland since 10 Jul 2002, with no associated cases

of human disease reported. According to Chin's " Control of Communicable

Diseases Manual 2000, " the maximum recorded incubation period for

listeriosis is 70 days. Unless there are any reports of associated

illness, this thread is closed. - Mod.JW]