Only two brands linked to listeriosis contamination
Enterprise Food and Rainbow Chicken products - polony, Viennas and Frankfurters - have been recalled. Fresh and frozen products, such as chicken and other foods, have been deemed safe for consumption
WHILE the Department of Health continues to keep the outbreak of listeriosis under a watchful eye, it’s important to keep in mind that only two brands are believed to have been affected and have since been recalled.
Enterprise Food products together with Rainbow Chicken products are the only two brands which have been recalled in South Africa.
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The recall of products are subject to polony, Viennas and Frankfurters, with fresh and frozen products – such as chicken – not being subject to the recall.
Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa assured South Africans yesterday that all foodstuffs contaminated with Listeria had been safely disposed of.
Enterprise Foods received a report from the Department of Health confirming the presence of the Listeria monocytogenes ST6 (LST6) strain it its Polokwane factory.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced on Sunday that the outbreak of listeriosis – a food-borne disease – had been traced to the factory in Polokwane.
‘We can now conclude scientifically that the source of the present outbreak is the Enterprise Food production facility located in Polokwane,’ he said.
The company said it received the report on Thursday after environmental swabs were taken at the factory on February 2.
‘We are directing all our efforts, energy and time to determine how this could have occurred,’ Tiger Brands CEO Lawrence MacDougall said in a statement.
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He added that Tiger Brands had recalled the majority of all affected products from retail outlets.
‘These were removed with dedicated trucks and are being kept in a quarantine warehouse awaiting disposal by incineration,’ he said.
Among the Enterprise Food meat products being recalled are polony, Viennas and Frankfurters.
‘Together with our staff, business partners and the relevant authorities we are working to mitigate any further risks to consumers. We are well advanced in the national recall of all ready-to-eat chilled processed meat products, which we initiated on Sunday.
‘We will leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of this to ensure it does not happen again,’ MacDougall said.
Rainbow Chicken recall
Rainbow Chicken Limited Foods said in an update that it had recalled all its polony products as a precautionary measure from its entire customer base.
These products had been bagged and would be disposed of.
‘Rainbow polony products can be returned to the store where the product was purchased for a full refund.
‘The recall concerns only polony.
‘All other Rainbow Chicken products produced at our other plants are not subject to this recall.
‘This includes fresh and frozen products,’ the update read.
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