Listeria outbreak: Metro urges Ekurhuleni residents to avoid ready-to-eat meat products

Ekurhuleni residents are urged to avoid all ready-to-eat food products such as viennas, russians, frankfurters, sausages and cold meats that are not typically cooked.

This follows an announcement by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Sunday,  March 4 that the listeriosis outbreak, which has to date claimed over 100 lives nationwide, has been traced to originate from these food products from the Enterprise facility in Germiston.

According to metro spokesperson, the Ekurhuleni environmental health practitioners also conducted tests which also confirmed this finding.

“While Enterprise has committed to recalling all affected products, pregnant women, new-born babies, elderly people and anyone with a weakened immune system are strongly advised to stay clear of all processed food products,” said Gadebe.

Listeria is a bacterium that is naturally found in the environment and commonly occurs in soil, water, vegetation and in the faeces of some animals. The bacterium has contaminated a wide variety of food types, including meat and meat products, dairy products both pasteurised and unpasteurised, fresh and frozen produce (fruits, vegetables and sprouts) and ready-to-eat products.

To prevent the spread of Listeria, basic hygiene should be followed along with the following measures:

•  Thoroughly cooking raw foods from animal sources, such as beef, pork or poultry;
•  Washing hands before preparing food, before eating and after going to the toilet;
• Washing and sanitisation of kitchen surfaces and utensils regularly, particularly after preparing raw meat, poultry and eggs, including industrial kitchens;
• Washing raw vegetables and fruits thoroughly before eating.

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