HEARING ABOUT YET another food recall is enough to make you never want to eat again. Unfortunately, here we are again. This time, it’s due to listeria. Here’s what you need to know about that bacteria and this recall.
Four people are dead and another 19 have been hospitalized after precooked pasta meals were contaminated with listeria, according to a new warning from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pasta was sold nationwide in Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joe’s and Albertson stores.
Earlier this week, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had released a public health alert after testing 12-oz packages of Walmart’s “Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce” and finding the linguine pasta positive for listeria monocytogenes contamination, which can cause listeriosis.
Food safety officials sounded the alarm of a listeria outbreak in June amidst an ongoing investigation of listeria contamination in FreshRealm’s chicken fettuccine alfredo products.
The latest news has confirmed other pasta-ready meals have also been contaminated with listeria. The recalls include 16-oz. plastic tray packages labeled “Trader Joe’s Cajun style blackened chicken breast fettucine alfredo” and multiple Albertsons pasta salads (find the full list here).
The listeria outbreak has now spanned 15 states and in one case, a pregnant woman with a listeria-related infection experienced a fetal loss.
The news comes after the government shutdown earlier this week, which has nearly half of USDA employees furloughed, per Spectrum News. While the USDA has a lapse of funding plan to stay afloat, there could be a possible delay in food safety investigations. The FDA has announced it will continue to conduct food outbreak surveillance, but other parts of the investigation, like weekly updates will pause.
But what’s the deal with listeria and why is it so concerning? We tapped food safety experts to break it down.
What is listeria?
Listeria monocytogenes is bacterium that can cause listeriosis, a potentially serious and deadly infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While listeria outbreaks don’t happen as often as ones from salmonella, they can be deadly. About 1,250 people get sick with listeriosis and 172 die from the condition each year.
“Listeria has a high fatality rate,” says Janet Buffer, MPH, senior institute manager for the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University. The CDC ranks listeria infection as the third leading cause of death from foodborne illnesses in the US.
Listeria is also a hearty bacterium and can be found in water and dirt, Buffer says. “In manufacturing plants, it can establish itself in areas such as drains or crevices that are hard to clean,” she explains. “It’s known to create something called a ‘biofilm’ which makes it harder to get out once it’s there.”
Once listeria gets into a production plant, it may stick around. “If listeria is introduced into a manufacturing facility, it can be very hard to get rid of,” says food safety expert Ellen Shumaker, PhD, director of outreach for the Safe Plates program at North Carolina State University.
What does listeria show up in?
Listeria can spread easily through contaminated foods. Previous outbreaks showed listeria in supplement shakes, poultry products, peaches, nectarines, cheese, and deli meats. With the latest news, we can add pasta to the list.
“The major concern with Listeria monocytogenes is its ability to survive—and even grow—in cold environments, including refrigeration,” says Darin Detwiler, author of the book Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions and a professor at Northeastern University. “Unlike many other foodborne pathogens, listeria isn’t killed by freezing,” he says. “This trait makes it especially dangerous.” He also points out that ready-to-eat (RTE) products like deli meats, soft cheeses, and even ice cream are concerning because they don’t have a “kill step” to get rid of possible listeria contamination.
Listeria symptoms
Listeriosis can cause a range of illnesses, but pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems, are the most likely to become seriously sick, according to the CDC.
“Often times symptoms are mild, with just nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,” says Kara Lynch, RD, a registered dietitian and food safety educator at Michigan State University Extension. “But they can become systemic and lead to fever, stiffness, fatigue, seizures, and more.” And, again, listeriosis can be deadly.
How to avoid listeria
You should be able to assume that the food you put in your mouth is safe to eat. But, unfortunately, that’s not always the reality. To lower the odds of facing a listeria infection, food safety experts recommend taking a few key steps:
- Pay attention to expiration dates on ready-to-eat foods. “Avoid consuming them after the use-by date,” Detwiler says.
- Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below. “Clean it regularly, including drawers and shelves where juices from packaged foods can accumulate,” Detwiler says. This won’t kill listeria if it’s in your fridge, but it can slow or prevent the growth of the bacterium.
- Be on top of kitchen hygiene. That means washing your hands, utensils, and surfaces after you handle raw foods, Detwiler explains.
- Steer clear of unpasteurized dairy products. That includes soft cheese and milk, Detwiler says.
- Be wary of certain foods. If you fall into the high-risk category, Lynch recommends being wary of foods like soft cheeses, deli meat, hot dogs, bean sprouts, cold smoked fish, and melons, which are more prone to listeria contamination.
- Keep track of your leftovers. “I recommend not keeping leftover prepared foods for longer than seven days to reduce the ability for listeria to grow,” Shumaker says.
Here’s the thing: You can only do so much about what ends up in the food you eat. But making a few key moves will help to lower the risk that you’ll end up getting sick.
You’re probably aware of this, but if you happen to have any of the recalled foods at home, don’t eat them. The FDA recommends throwing them out and immediately calling your healthcare provider if you develop any food illness symptoms.
