Fatal Listeria Outbreak Hits Ireland, Widely Sold Ready-to-Heat Meals Are Likely Cause
Image credit: Shashank Verma via Unsplash
A foodborne listeriosis outbreak in Ireland has sickened nine people and resulted in one death. The preliminary results of an ongoing investigation by the Ireland National Outbreak Control Team (NOC Team) suggests that ready-to-heat meals produced by Ballymaguire Foods are the vehicle of illness.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published a recall alert for a variety of prepared meals (e.g., pasta bakes, cottage pies, chicken curries, beef dinners, lasagnas, and etc.) sold under a number of brand names at several major retailers (i.e., Tesco, Aldi, Supervalu, and Centra). The list of recalled foods can be accessed here.
A recall alert has also been issued by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) for Ballymaguire Foods products sold in Northern Ireland, which can be accessed here.
According to Ballymaguire Foods, Listeria monocytogenes was identified at one of its facilities during a routine quality control check. In addition to launching a voluntary recall, the company has also temporarily suspended all production at the affected facility, and an “internal team, supported by independent external experts, conducted a comprehensive assessment and implemented immediate corrective actions,” including a full, “pharmaceutical-grade” clean-down of the facility.
The investigation by the Ireland NOC Team is ongoing. The NOC Team is chaired by the Ireland Health Service Executive (HSE) National Health Protection Office and comprises the HSE National Environmental Health Service; the HSE Regional Public Health Services; FSAI; the National Salmonella, Shigella, and Listeria Reference Laboratory; and the National Reference Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine.
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