Some meat products
The Food & Drugs Authority (FDA) has warned against buying imported meat products from Enterprise Foods based in Polokwane, South Africa.
It said if members of the public find such products on the market, they should quickly relay information to the FDA either by calling or sending whatsapp message to 0206973065.
Enterprise Foods is a subsidiary of the Tiger Brands Company.
According to the FDA, it has received information from South African authorities on the outbreak of deadly bacteria known as listeriosis, which are said to be found in Ready-To-Eat (RTE) processed meat products produced by Enterprise Foods.
As a result of this, the FDA has increased its monitoring at the country’s ports of entry for meat products from South Africa.
“Since Ghana is a known export country for Enterprise Foods, the INFOSAN has warned that there is a possibility of some of the recalled products having been exported to Ghana,” the FDA said in a statement issued on Thursday.
Listeria monocytogenes is typically a food-borne organism which causes the illness called listeriosis and can grow and reproduce inside the host cell.
Listeria is a bacterium that is naturally found in the environment and is capable of surviving with or without oxygen.
It therefore has the ability to survive and grow at temperatures as low as 0°C, thereby allowing multiplication at refrigeration temperatures.
It commonly occurs in soil, water, vegetation and in the faeces of some animals.
Listeria monocytogenes has been associated with foods such as raw milk, pasteurized fluid milk, cheeses (particularly soft-ripened varieties), ice cream, raw vegetables, fermented raw-meat sausages, raw and cooked poultry, raw meats (of all types) and raw and smoked fish.
This fact, coupled with variable incubation period, can range from 6 hours to 70 days.
The prevention of listeriosis is similar to guidance used to help prevent other food-borne illnesses.
This includes practising safe food handling and following the WHO Five Keys to Safer Food – keep clean, separate raw and cooked food, cook and reheat thoroughly, keep food at safe temperatures, as well as use safe water and raw materials.
Additionally, persons in high risk groups should avoid consuming ready to eat meat products such as sausages, hams, patés and meat spreads.
A business desk report