The catastrophic listeriosis outbreak is all but over, but it’s still in the news. As of July 26, 2018, a total of 1,060 cases and 216 deaths from all provinces across the country were reported by the NICD since January 1, 2017. Here are historic and latest updates and news on the outbreak, and much more…..
August 2, 2018
NICD updated this Listeria Outbreak at the end of July. Of note, the numbers of ill have continued to drop following the recall of Tiger Brands Enterprise Foods’ polony in March. However, it appears that some of the “recalled” product is still being consumed. Download this situation report here….
Update: SA’s listeriosis outbreak“It’s the worst documented listeriosis outbreak in global history.” So says leading SA microbiologist, Lucia Anelich, PhD, principal of Anelich Consulting, of the devastating public health crisis that has tallied a mindboggling 1,056 cases and 214 deaths as of July 4, 2018.
This article is published in Food Quality and Safety on the listeriosis outbreak in SA is written by Linda Leake (USA) when she interviewed Anelich in July at the IAFP meeting in Salt Lake City where she spoke on “The Listeriosis Outbreak in South Africa: Next Steps” – to a standing-room only, packed audience.
At SA’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) scientists are picking apart a monster that claimed the lives of 212 people. That monster is sequence type 6 (ST6) listeriosis, and now that the outbreak is over scientists are trying to understand what made this bacteria so deadly.
SA’s listeria outbreak and the Swiss Cheese model of disaster“Having spent the last 20 years of my life invested in food safety management systems in the South African food industry, I have to say the Listeriosis outbreak has caused some self-doubt. What have we done wrong? What have we missed?” These are some very big questions asked by Linda Jackson of compliance website and consultancy, FoodFocus.
1,053 cases have been reported from 01 January 2017 to 20 June 2018. The number of new cases reported each week has decreased since the implicated products were recalled on 04 March 2018.
Tiger Brands may never know how a strain of bacteria linked by the government to the world’s deadliest outbreak of listeriosis entered its South African factory.
So now we know what South Africa’s not-fit-for-consumption polony is good for – cement-making.
Tiger Brands wants the government to establish a new food safety and hygiene standard, as well as a food safety council, said its CEO, Lawrence MacDougall…..
Lawrence MacDougall, CEO of Tiger Brands on the losses the company suffered in their results & their current activities, and plans for the future. https://t.co/aASVMjto2m pic.twitter.com/pqDBGpZQJj
— Food Focus (@FoodFocusSA) May 29, 2018
Listeriosis: Meat sector bleedshttps://t.co/3ZISSL4AtT https://t.co/IGpQxS33vR
— Bill Marler (@bmarler) May 16, 2018
We’ve put together a useful mini-directory of Service Providers who can help you tackle your #Listeria challenges! Have a look. https://t.co/U4WGaZKUYK pic.twitter.com/V72gxOSCxF
— Food Focus (@FoodFocusSA) May 7, 2018
Listeria has serious health implications but likewise it is a serious legal threat to your business https://t.co/qx4m1FzkoD
— J F Luterek, Pr.Eng (@CPA_Lawyer) May 10, 2018
Don’t forget to look under your floor scales. Contamination that starts there can spread to other parts of your facility #foodsafety https://t.co/H91Oqyc0kX pic.twitter.com/rUNQ2ykgJ2
— Food Safety X (@FoodSafetyX) May 10, 2018
Listeria Prevention Presentation Pack03 May 2018
Industry response to Listeriosis outbreak: clean, clean, clean!02 May 2018
One of the primary reactions to the current Listeriosis outbreak has been to clean, clean, clean… and rightly so. But given the effort and expense it takes to clean, it is essential that cleaning is undertaken in the correct way to ensure the maximum benefit.
Leading food safety lawyer commends Tiger Brands for transparencyAcknowledgement that listeriosis outbreak came from its factory earns praise from Bill Marler, leading US-based food safety attorney.
Tiger Brands testing confirms the presence of listeria ST6 strain in their product
Today’s Listeriosis news wrap: Govt points fingers at meat firms; cases breach 1,000; epidemic declines and hygienic design coursesHealth Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said yesterday that the companies which produce processed meat have the resourced labs to test products and should be held responsible for the listeriosis outbreak.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says it is concerned about recent developments and statements, supposedly released as facts into the public domain, about the listeriosis outbreak. Here is its full statement…
The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) announced on Thursday [29 March] that the death toll in the listeriosis outbreak has climbed to 189 – up six deaths from its last update.
In addition to the cost of closing factories, including its Pretoria plant now, and recalling products, the food producer also faces class-action lawsuits…
Today’s listeriosis news wrap: The problem with Tiger Brands, RCL ‘cleared’, more deaths fearedHow is it that the food company’s rivals, like AVI, don’t seem to always find themselves in the dock for apparently breaking the rules, asks Business Day editor, Rob Rose, in this scathing editorial?
Three major mistakes Tiger Brands made in response to the listeriosis crisisTiger Brands, the South African food giant at the centre of the listeriosis storm engulfing the country, is facing serious brand erosion as a result of the way it handled the unfolding crisis.
Today’s listeriosis news wrap: lawsuits, cheap protein, a villainous bacteriaThe fallout from the listeriosis outbreak continues – here’s an agglomeration of many articles, Tweets and links published over the past few days….
Bill Marler speaks on the listeriosis outbreak in South AfricaBill Marler, renowned American food safety expert and litigator, shared two presentations with food industry professionals at the Food Focus listeria workshop on March 8, 2018. FoodFocus chatted with him about his visit to South Africa, his thoughts on the listeriosis outbreak and what this will mean for the food industry.
South Africa has had the biggest listeriosis outbreak in the world that resulted in more than 180 deaths to date. The Conversation Africa’s health editor, Candice Bailey, spoke to Prof Lise Korsten about the challenges around food safety in the country.
Today’s listeriosis news wrap: making a scapegoat of Tiger Brands?Leading this collation of stories gathered from SA media and Twitter is the Financial Mail’s questioning this: Motsoaledi says the source has been found, but Tiger Brands’ test results show ‘low levels’ of environmental listeria: who’s to be believed?
As the listeriosis story has moved up the ladder from low rung to hysteria, there has been little heard from those most affected – the victims and their families. Consumer journalist, Wendy Knowler put this to rights this week, giving a slice of the human pain in this tragedy, with an interview of two families…
EDITORIAL: BizNew.com’s Alec Hogg writes today….
Tiger Brands is embroiled in a scandal which makes its debilitating bread cartel shock of 2007 look like a picnic. On Sunday afternoon, South Africa’s Department of Health said 180 people had died from Listeriosis. It has definitively linked the bacteria to products made at Tiger’s meat processing factory in Polokwane.
No link yet between deaths and our products, says Tiger Brands CEOTiger Brands CEO, Lawrence MacDougall, says there is no direct link at this moment between the deaths of 180 people infected with the listeriosis outbreak and the products from its Enterprise subsidiary.
Yesterday’s announcement uncovering the culprit, at least one of them, behind SA’s tragic listeriosis outbreak has seen a flood of informative and interesting reaction on Twitter….
Deadly Listeriosis outbreak traced to Enterprise meat factory in PolokwanePolony and products from an Enterprise Foods factory in Polokwane‚ Limpopo‚ are a source of the world’s largest outbreak of listeria, while RTE products from a RCL facility are also under scrutiny. Enterprise is part of Tiger Brands which last year booked R2.2bn in its ‘value-added meat products’ division.
13 February 2018
The lack of knowledge on the source of the Listeria outbreak in South Africa is ‘of concern’ but a ‘strong lead’ – between human cases and a food item with laboratory results pending – is being investigated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
13 February 2018
As the death count in South Africa’s listeriosis outbreak rises, Canadian researchers are isolating bacteria from the microbiome of exotic foods to try to develop a solution.
NICD situation update on listeriosis outbreak, South Africa 6 FebNICD Situation Report on Listeriosis Outbreak, South Africa (25 Jan)
Press Release: The listeriosis outbreak and what government is doing7 steps to prevent Listeria in food facilities
Control of Listeria monocytogenes – guidance for the food industry
NICD media release – update on Listeria (12 Jan)
World Health Organisation 5 Keys to Safer Food
Further unpacking listeriosis – Food Focus speaks at the National Press Club media briefing
Press Release DOH: Origin of contaminated listeria food samples identified
Situation Report on Listeriosis Outbreak, South AfricaListeriosis kills 5 in drought-stricken Western Cape
Webinar Listeria and the LawIf you missed our webinar with Legal Eagle, Janusz Luterek, discussing the legal ramifications of listeria, you can watch the replay here. Read more
Listeria and the law – what you need to knowThe media channels have been flooded with the disturbing news of the Listeria outbreak. We took the opportunity to chat to Janusz Luterek, Attorney-at-law about the legal implications of this outbreak. Read more
City of JHB outbreak response teams to help battle listeriosisJohannesburg – The City of Johannesburg says it has activated outbreak response teams across the city to “help educate the public” on preventing the spread of listeriosis, a disease that has thus far claimed over 30 lives. Read more
Listeria FactsheetThe National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) is reporting a very large outbreak of Listeriosis in South Africa. Here are some facts that you should know. Read more
Listeria Outbreak South Africa Dec 2017There is currently a very large outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa. According to the National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD), over 550 cases reported since the start of 2017. (Dec 2017) Read more
Spike in Listeria infections in South Africa – why it mattersThe National Institute for Communicable Diseases has received reports of a marked increase in the number of cases in South Africa in the last few months, mostly in Gauteng. The stats are now sitting at 190 confirmed cases across the country this year. Read more
There was a great response to our recent article on Listeria. Needless to say it has been a very topical issue in the last two months. We have done a lot of research on how to eradicate the problem and have come across some great resources to share with you. Read more
Over 80 years ago, L. monocytogenes was recognized as an animal pathogen that was widespread in nature, in soil, decaying vegetation and the bowels of many mammals. But in 1983 the first human outbreak was reported in Canada, proving that indirect transmission from animals to humans. Read more
Tags: Listeria, listeriosis, South Africa's listeriosis outbreak, Tiger Brands
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