Listeria, the decalogue to avoid contracting the bacteria after cases of withdrawn products

In Hungary since 2015 a home of Listeria is the cause of 47 registered cases of which 9 caused as many deaths in five European countries, Austria, Denmark, Finland , Sweden and the United Kingdom . And in recent weeks, withdrawals of frozen food products are expanding, due to the risk of possible contamination. An alarm that spread to Australia and New Zealand, where nine products were recalled, a mixture of corn, carrots, peas and broccoli, imported from Europe and sold Woolworths, Aldi and IGA supermarket chains. After the preventive removal of several frozen batches of Findus and Lidl in Italy, the Bioleader food safety badysis laboratory has developed a set of best practices to avoid contracting listeriosis.

ALARM IN ITALY – The last case concerns a batch of cooked ham of the brand Fiorucci. The Coop has withdrawn Ipercoop Abruzzo shops in Chieti, Ipercoop Le Zagare and Ginestre di Catania. The packaging was produced by Greenyard Frozen Belgium (at a factory in Hungary), as well as Findus soup and Freshona and Pinguin vegetables, which have withdrawn a few batches of their products in recent days.

LA LISTERIA – The bacteria thrive in fresh foods and even survive on food contact surfaces such as knives, cutlery, cutting boards, vegetable basket or in the refrigerator. "In general, the most exposed foods are those that are ready to consume – say Franca Di Giovanni and Ombretta Pellerey from the Bioleader badysis laboratory – raw or undercooked meat, cold cuts, milk-based cheeses and non-gourmet cheeses. pasteurized ". However, giving up these products is not at all necessary. " U n for good housekeeping can help prevent this infection," added the experts.

THE DECALOGUE – The laboratory team has developed a manual of good practices. practice to prevent the contraction of listeriosis, "toxin infection that on the most fragile subjects, such as the elderly, children, immunocompromised subjects and fetuses can have fatal consequences ". The first rule concerns cooking capable of eliminating Listeria monocytogenes: it is sufficient to cook the minestrone for a few minutes at a temperature above 75 ° C to destroy the micro-organism . Meat, cold cuts, cheeses, gastronomy products such as Russian salad and rice salads and, more generally, all fresh foods should be kept in the refrigerator

Another good practice: food should be kept in the refrigerator and in the closed freezer. Hurry up, often, it's a bad advisor: "It's best – says the Decalogue – to thaw foods by putting them in the fridge even the day before or cooking them right away: you have to absolutely avoid rapid thawing under hot water. "The fresh products of the gastronomy, as well as the cheeses, meats, cold meats and vegetables already washed, must not be consumed after the expiry date. refrigerators and freezers better – they suggest Bioleader's laboratory – especially in the summer when the temperature is higher, it's a good habit to thaw them regularly to prevent the ice from accumulating [19459005InanycasethefreezerandtherefrigeratormustbekeptcleananddisinfectedfrequentlyInthehottestseasonitisalsonecessarytowormfruitsandvegetablesbeforeconsumingthemrawAnotherruleofthumb:beforecuttingmelonsandwatermelonscarefullyremoveallthesoilperhapsusingabrush;theyaretheneateninafewdaysandstoredinacoveredrefrigeratororinairtightcontainersFinallychildrenpregnantwomenandtheelderlyshouldavoideatingrawmeatsmokedproductsandcheesesmadefromunpasteurizedmilk