In recent weeks, some frozen vegetable foods have had to be removed from supermarket shelves. They came from a Hungarian plant contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, a rare but dangerous bacterium because it is potentially deadly. Many retailers are affected by this recall. If you purchased these products, it is recommended to destroy them or bring them back to the store where you can get a refund.
Frozen vegetables contaminated with listeria
The Belgian group Greenyard is among the world leaders in fresh, frozen and cooked fruits and vegetables. The group's Hungarian factory, located in the city of Baja, produces frozen vegetables for the world, and has unfortunately had to close because some of its frozen vegetables have been contaminated with listeria.
In France, this contamination of food with a strain of listeria was revealed on July 11 by the Directorate General of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) and many products containing these vegetables are concerned. Food contaminated with listeria is, according to Loïc Tanguy, director of cabinet at the DGCCRF "frozen vegetables that are incorporated into prepared dishes", and are marketed by many brands such as Leclerc, Intermarché, Auchan, Monoprix or Casino.
Since the start of product contamination in August 2016, 47 cases of listeria have been reported and 9 people have died as a result of the disease.
In an attempt to avoid an epidemic, the health authorities are trying to remove certain products from the shelves, which is not easy, however, because the frozen vegetables of the Belgian group have somehow been dispersed in nature and found themselves in a great variety of culinary preparations of a large number of brands and declined in the most diverse forms.
A rare but dangerous disease
Present in nature, Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can cause in humans listeriosis, a serious infectious disease of which about 300 cases are recorded each year in France. This infection requires hospitalization for the overwhelming majority of patients, and it causes death in 20% to 30% of cases.
Listeria is most often transmitted through food because it has the capacity to grow on sites where they are made and contaminate them.
Although once present in a food, listeria is very resistant and can grow at a temperature as low as four degrees, hence the importance of a good maintenance of the cold chain, the freezing of food if it stops the proliferation of microorganisms, do not destroy them.
Listeriosis results in infection of the central nervous system or blood (sepsis) and can lead to symptoms such as headache, vomiting, fever or digestive disorders.
The people most at risk are immunocompromised people, the elderly and pregnant women. The main risk they have is for their baby: the disease can cause neonatal infection, premature birth, or even the loss of their baby.
The products concerned
Here are some of the products affected by listeria contamination. You can also see a complete list here.
- Casino Brand Salmon Sandwich, lot 819901.
- Landaise salad brand Maxime Géraud, lots 18172, 18179 and 18183.
- Four seasons salad brand Maxime Géraud, lots 18169, 18172, 18176, 18179, 18183 and 18186.
- Cooked whole shrimp of brand Captain Houat, lots 38731191, 38776192 and 38797193.
- Ronsard brand Duck Aiguillettes, lot A877129.
- Mexican rice and beef brand Thiriet, sold by Monoprix, lots 17290 and 18089.
If you purchased any of these products, it is recommended that you destroy them or bring them back to the store where you bought them for a refund.
