Listeriosis

​Listeriosis is a bacterial infection most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogenes. 

Listeriosis may cause mild, self-limiting gastroenteritis and fever in anyone, but it cal also cause severe illness, including severe sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis, sometimes resulting in lifelong harm and even death. Those at risk of severe illness are the elderly, unborn babies, newborns and those whose immune systems have been compromised, either due to illness or medication. In pregnant women, it may cause stillbirth or spontaneous abortion, and preterm birth is common.

Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a hardy bacterium that is widespread in the environment and can contaminate a wide range of foods. Because it is so very hardy, it can not just survive in lower temperatures, but also still grow and multiply. Most bacteria will survive in the fridge, for instance, but are simply dormant at those lower temperatures. Listeria, however, can still multiply at temperatures as low as 0°C.

This is one of the reasons is it most commonly associated with pre-cooked foods, chilled ready-to-eat foods such as cooked sliced meats, smoked fish, cooked shellfish, soft mould-ripened cheeses, pate and pre-prepared sandwiches that do not require further cooking or reheating.

Click here for more information on Listeria.

To read the Food Standards Agency's recall notice, click here. To see Dearn Valley Foods' recall notice on the Food Standards Agency's website, click here. We could not find a website for Dearn Valley Foods, in order to check if they had put the recall on their own website (surprisingly, most companies don't).