Deli Meat Recall: A Timely Reminder

As summer approaches, you’re more likely to grill hot dogs outdoors and picnic with deli meat sandwiches.  The recent recall of 15,900 pounds of Rose and Shore deli meat products reminded us to remind you about deli meat health risks in general and to review the precautions recommended by food safety specialists.  You won’t like these suggested limitations, but they’re important to consider if you’re preparing food for young children, the elderly, or anyone with a weakened immune system. 

Rose and Shore Meat Co., a Vernon California establishment, recalled deli meats produced on April 5, 2011 and  distributed to distribution centers in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. The problem was discovered after the company tested the product at the request of a commercial customer who received a consumer complaint. Conclusion: the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause food-borne illness.  For more information about this recall and a list of the specific lot numbers of the products involved (pastrami and roast beef), click here.

How dangerous is listeria? It can cause a condition called “listeriosis.”  According to the USDA, healthy people rarely contract this disease.  If they do, it generally manifests itself as a mild case of the flu, says food scientist Dr. Susan Brewer.   However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, and nausea.  It’s especially dangerous for pregnant women since it can cause a miscarriages and stillbirth.  It can also be a very serious illness for infants, the elderly, people with HIV infection, and those undergoing chemotherapy.

Listeria is most likely to become a problem in cured meat products such as hot dogs and bologna for these reasons:

1. Listeria can grow in deli meat (although slowly) even when it’s refrigerated.

2. Unlike most other bacteria, it tolerates the sodium nitrite that’s used to “cure” meat.

3. It thrives in vacuum packaging used for many cured meat products since it likes a very small amount of oxygen in its environment. 

Here’s what the USDA recommends regarding luncheon meats:  “Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, bologna, or other deli meats unless reheated until steaming hot.”  I told you that you wouldn’t like it. When we take “cold cuts” to a picnic, to work, or to school, we usually eat them cold.  But for those at risk of contracting a serious case of listeriosis, it’s wise to either heat it or not eat it.  And when the kids are grilling hot dogs over a fire, encourage them to get their franks really hot. When grilling them on a back yard barbecue, ditto. 

Source(s):

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service “California Firm Recalls Deli Meat Products for Possible Listeria Contamination”
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_037_2011_Release/index.asp

Susan Brewer, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

shelflifeadvice.com “What foods are likely to be contaminated by listeria?”

http://shelflifeadvice.com/faq/what-foods-are-likely-be-contaminated-listeria

shelflifeadvice.com “How dangerous is listeria?”
http://shelflifeadvice.com/faq/how-dangerous-listeria