Supervalu/Centra Recall Cooked Ham: Suspected presence of Listeria monocytogenes

The following article appeared in the Irish Times on Saturday, August 5th:

"Three Meat Products Recalled

Musgrave has today announced it is recalling some ham products from a number of Super Valu and Centra stores due to the possible presence of Listeria.

In a statement, the company said Rudd Fine Foods had alerted it to the possible presence of Listeria, a common food-borne bacterium, in three products it supplies to the company.

Musgrave said it has traced the products back to all affected stores and has pulled all the stock as a precaution.

The products, which Musgrave says were supplied to a "limited number" of stores, are SuperValu Homestyle Crumbed Ham, Centra Homestyle Crumbed Ham and Centra Homestyle Cooked Ham.

The meat is from a batch - code 18.09.2009/Batch 276 - that was delivered to Musgrave from 18th-27th August and has an expiration date of 18th September 2009. The products are cut in store at the deli-counter, not pre-packed, and have a two-day shelf life from the point of purchase.

Anyone who has bought any of the affected batch is advised not to consume the meat and instead dispose of it immediately."

It is extremely important that not only the recalled products must be immediately disused and that consumers dispose of or return possibly affected stock to the shop where it was purchased but also that all equipment and storage space (knives, boards, refrigerators) that has been in contact with the affected stock are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to remove Listeria monocytogenes bacteria that might be present on surfaces. Ready-to-eat foods that were in direct contact with the foods in question must be disposed of as well, especially cooked meats or cheeses that were packed together with the affected food.

As with most foodborne pathogens, the presence of Listera monocytogenes does not alter the taste, smell or appearance of foods. The pathogen does not only cause the typical symptoms of foodborne illness. In adults it can initially cause flu-like symptoms which might lead to infections of the brain, vagina/uterus and the central nervous system (symptoms: blurred vision, muscle stiffness, constipation, vertigo and loss of balance) or gastro-intestinal infection (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea) in adults, septicaemia (sepsis) or meningitis in newborn or unborn children or spontaneous abortion or stillbirth in pregnant women. Although Listeriosis is a very rare occurrence (2007:21 cases in Ireland, 5 cases in the first quarter of 2009, source: HPSC), it is frequently lethal, killing beween 20% and 30% of infected people.

Listeriosis affects especially persons with a weak immune system (elderly, very young children/infants and chronically ill). The onset-time of Listeriosis is about three weeks: symptoms do not show until three weeks after consumption of contaminated foods. Anyone in a risk-group developing flu-like symptoms within three to six weeks after consuming potentially affected meat should urgently visit their GP and mention Listeria as a possible cause for their illness.

Listeria monocytogenes naturally occurs in the environment and predominately lives in soil and water. It is extremely hardy and can grow and multiply in refrigerators. It is able to withstand cooking temperatures of 70ºC for up to 2 minutes. L. monocytogenes bacteria can move about and are able to penetrate cell walls, which allows them to freely circulate in any affected organism.

See also information on the FSAI website: http://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/food_alerts/supervalu_centra_ham.html