Shoprite say their house brand cold meats are not affected by the Listeriosis crisis
Shoprite Group said that it has a well-developed risk assessment programme in place that confirms the adherence to food safety and hygiene protocols in its supermarkets.
POLOKWANE – In a press release, the retail giant say their housebrand and private label cold meats, sold under the Housebrand, Ritebrand and Farmer’s Deli brand names are not affected by recall notices that have been served on Enterprise Foods and Rainbow Chicken.
Read more: BREAKING NEWS: Listeriosis outbreak traced to Enterprise Factory in Polokwane
“Shoprite and Checkers own brands in this category are not manufactured by these two suppliers,” it read.
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Supermarkets in the Shoprite Group, on Monday, removed all affected Enterprise processed cold meats and Rainbow chicken polony from its fridges and deli’s after the announcement by the Minister of Health, following tests linking the Listeria monocytogenes ST6 strain positively with these supplier manufacturing plants.
“The products have been removed from shelves, isolated in stores and are being uplifted as of this morning,” the statement read.
Customers have been invited by the Shoprite Group to return any Enterprise processed cold meat products and Rainbow chicken polony in their original packaging that they have at home for a full refund. Proof of purchase is not required and opened products can also be returned.
The Group said their customers’ health and safety is a main focus for the retailer and that it was relieved that sources of the outbreak has been identified so that consumers now have some peace of mind about their perishable food purchases.
“It will do all that is necessary to assist the Ministry of Health’s measures to contain the outbreak of Listeriosis and has been working closely with the Department of Health over the past months to this end.”
Following the Minister of Health’s announcement about a national outbreak of Listerioses last year, the Shoprite Group immediately instituted an enhanced monitoring plan on top of its regular independent audits of store food preparation areas in an effort to detect if a risk of Listeria was present, given that the bacterium naturally occurs in the environment.
