British health authorities have launched an investigation after listeria bacteria was discovered in chicken supplied to a hospital.
Chicken products imported from Brazil by Foodbridge EU and Foodbridge UK tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
The National Health Service (NHS) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have notified the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executives (UKHSA) of the issue.
Listeria levels detected are within the legal limit of 100 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g). However, the products are supplied to the NHS food chain and other health and social care settings.
supply to hospitals
Although the products are supplied frozen, once thawed they are labeled as ready-to-eat (RTE), increasing potential public health concerns, especially for vulnerable populations.
Yearsley Food, which carries eight frozen chicken products, has begun withdrawals.
These include specific codes and sizes for shredded pieces and strips of cooked chicken breast, strips and shredded steamed chicken breast, and shredded chicken.
On June 9, the NHS was told that a supplier had requested local destruction or return of frozen cooked chicken products after low levels of Listeria monocytogenes were detected.
The product appears to be mainly supplied to catering services, including the NHS, where it may undergo further processing.
There are currently no confirmed cases of listeriosis associated with this incident. However, UKHSA is waiting to determine whether Listeria monocytogenes isolated from contaminated chicken matches reported cases through sequence analysis by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
One NHS Trust has identified groups of vulnerable patients who may have been exposed and testing on cooked chicken products is being arranged.
About listeria infection
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled, but it can still cause serious and sometimes life-threatening infections. Anyone who develops symptoms of listeria infection after eating chicken should seek medical attention and tell their doctor about possible listeria exposure.
Additionally, people who have eaten the affected chicken should monitor themselves for symptoms over the next few weeks, as it can take up to 70 days after exposure to listeria for listeriosis symptoms to appear.
Symptoms of listeria infection include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle pain, severe headache, and neck stiffness. Specific laboratory tests are needed to diagnose listeria infection, which can mimic other illnesses.
People such as pregnant women, the elderly, children, and cancer patients with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk for serious illness, life-threatening infections, and other complications. Infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, but the infection can cause premature delivery, neonatal infection, and even stillbirth.
