Listeriosis (Listeria) Update
Tiger Brands recalls Snax products
19 March 2018
In reaction to an announcement by Tiger Brands today (19 March 2018) that it is recalling its range of Snax ready to eat products as a precautionary measure, supermarkets in the Shoprite Group are removing these products from sale to be returned to the supplier.
Consumers are invited to return products in the Snax range in its original packaging for a full refund. Proof of purchase will not be required.
According to Tiger Brands, its Pretoria meat processing factory has been closed after discovering the presence of very low levels of Listeria during their continued product testing programme.
View the list of products recalled.
Get more facts on Listeriosis.
Shoprite recalls Farmer’s Deli red viennas
16 March 2018
The Shoprite Group has announced this afternoon (Friday, 16 March 2018) that it has recalled a batch of Farmer’s Deli red viennas packed for the Group from its perishable departments.
This follows a notification earlier today from a Winelands District Environmental Health Practitioner after the presence of Listeria monocytogenes was identified in an initial testing of a single batch of red viennas.
Further testing is necessary to confirm the presence of harmful levels of Listeria bacteria. The results of the further testing will take another five working days.
In the meantime, the Shoprite Group has, as an added precautionary measure, removed all Farmer’s Deli Red and Smoked Viennas from its shelves until the product gets the all clear.
Listeria monocytogenes is not the same as Listeria ST6, which was linked by the Department of Health to fatal listeriosis cases that occurred in South Africa.
The recall due to Listeria monocytogenes was only found in a single batch (BB 18 March B5/N) and is not linked to the recent Listeria ST6 recall related to Enterprise Foods.
The production facility where this batch was packed has provided a full record of clean food safety tests which included testing for the presence of Listeria bacteria.
The Shoprite Group has invited any concerned customers to return purchases of any Farmer’s Deli 500g and 1kg red and smoked Viennas products for a full refund. Proof of purchase will not be required.
The Group has a team of food scientists and technologists and is working with its suppliers and the Department of Health to do all that is necessary to further contain the outbreak of Listeriosis.
View the list of products recalled.
Get more facts on Listeriosis.
Enterprise processed cold meats and Rainbow chicken polony recalled
05 March 2018
The Shoprite Group’s housebrand and private label cold meats, sold under the Housebrand and Ritebrand, are not affected by recall notices that have been served on Enterprise Foods and Rainbow Chicken. Shoprite and Checkers own brands in this category are not manufactured by these two suppliers.
Supermarkets in the Shoprite Group on Sunday, 4 March 2018, removed all affected Enterprise processed cold meats and Rainbow chicken polony from its fridges and deli’s after the announcement by the Minister of Health, following tests linking the Listeria monocytogenes ST6 strain positively with these supplier manufacturing plants. The products have been removed from shelves, isolated in stores and are being uplifted.
Customers are invited to return any Enterprise processed cold meat products and Rainbow chicken polony in their original packaging that they have at home for a full refund. Proof of purchase is not required and opened products can also be returned.
The Group said their customers’ health and safety is a main focus for the retailer and that it was relieved that sources of the outbreak has been identified so that consumers now have some peace of mind about their perishable food purchases. It will do all that is necessary to assist the Ministry of Health’s measures to contain the outbreak of Listeriosis and has been working closely with the Department of Health over the past months to this end.
Following the Minister of Health's announcement about a national outbreak of Listeriosis last year, the Shoprite Group immediately instituted an enhanced monitoring plan on top of its regular independent audits of store food preparation areas in an effort to detect if a risk of Listeria was present, given that the bacterium naturally occurs in the environment.
Shoprite Group said that it has a well-developed risk assessment programme in place that confirms the adherence to food safety and hygiene protocols in its supermarkets.
View the list of products recalled.
Get more facts on Listeriosis.