What if I told you eating that salad, that deli sandwich, or even that granola bar could potentially kill you, would you believe me? You wouldn’t be wrong for casting doubt on such a statement, but this is exactly what has happened here in Canada and south of the boarder. Massive recalls of prepackaged salad, frozen fruit and vegetables
[1], and granola bars
[2] have occurred throughout Canada and the United states in the first half of 2016 alone due to
contamination with Listeria, resulting in 8 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths so far. Going back further, in 2008 Canada experienced the most tragic loss of life due to an outbreak of listeria from deli meats packaged by Maple Leaf Foods, causing a reported 22 deaths and 27 million dollars in class action lawsuits
[3]; shaking the public’s confidence in government health and safety standards.
Now before you start boycotting your favourite packaged salad or cold cut deli meats, keep in mind that these outbreaks of listeria were linked to only
specific factories, and not all the types of foods mentioned are contaminated, only specific brands. The sources of contamination seen recently and in 2008 were attributed to unclean equipment that had traces of the bacteria on them which unfortunately contaminated all goods it came in contact with
[4].
Commonly known as
Listeria Monocytogenes in the scientific community, this tiny organism has been the boon of many food borne related deaths in the past couple of years. Normally found in soil, decomposing vegetables, and water, Listeria can come in contact with plants, vegetables and even livestock; affecting meats and dairy. It grows at temperature ranging from 3˚C to 45˚C displaying no changes in appearance, smell, or taste of the contaminated item, making it quite difficult for it to be identified
[5].
Termed Listeriosis when an individual becomes infected by the bacteria, symptoms can be highly variable, ranging from a mild illness consisting of gastrointestinal upset, fever, chills, muscle pain and headache, to a more severe illness primarily seen in the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals, who may develop additional life threatening symptoms such as meningitis, encephalitis, or sepsis (infection in the blood).
Pregnant women are especially at risk and should avoid anything that could possibly contain traces of Listeria, as mother to fetus transmission is highly probable leading to premature labor or even still birth
[6].
While healthy individuals usually only display mild symptoms and are generally self-limited, high risk individuals (as mentioned above) are more likely to suffer complications due to their compromised
immune systems [7]; unable to fight off infection effectively. There is however treatment we can use in the form of antibiotics
[8] that help, but due to rising concerns of antibiotic resistant bacteria treatment failure is a real possibility
[9].
As with any illness protecting yourself beforehand is the main method of prevention. In the case of Listeria, avoiding high risk foods that may be contaminated is your best line of defence as well as cleaning and cooking your food thoroughly before consumption. Here are some foods commonly found to contain
traces of Listeria.
- Ready to eat deli meats, hot dogs, and luncheon meats
- Soft cheeses (ex. Feta, Brie, and Camembert) made with unpasteurized milk
- Seafood that have been smoked and refrigerated (Canned seafood is safe)
- Raw sprouts and vegetables
Unfortunately it is often too late once news of a Listeria outbreak occurs, already affecting hundreds of people before the
source of the contamination is known. As you can imagine, Canadian and American food and drug agencies become hypervigilant once incidents like this occur; quickly taking action and informing the public, but some would argue that enough is not done to prevent these events from happening in the first place despite massive factory shutdowns and public apologies. We as consumers can’t fully place our faith in food corporations and their handling of the foods we eat; it is up to us to become more aware of the possible harms some foods may carry.
Staying informed saves lives.
