Cocktail shrimp recalled due to the contamination of Listeria monocytogens

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Cocktail shrimp recalled due to the contamination of Listeria monocytogens

Products Recalled: Lidl US company recently (March 2023) announced a voluntary recall of ready-to-eat Tapas labelled Cocktail Shrimp by Lidl, 7 oz, due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Problem:  

A voluntary recall of Tapas branded ready-to-eat cocktail shrimp was announced by Lidl US on March 1st 2023. This voluntary recall applies to all units of ready-to-eat Tapas labelled Cocktail Shrimp by Lidl, packaged in 7 oz—containers that customers may still have. The UPC for impacted goods will be 4056489411499. The food recall applies to all current product codes on the market. Customers were also given point-of-sale awareness from the company. These warnings explain why the product is being recalled and what buyers should do if they have purchased it [1]. 

Scientific Evidence:  

  • Listeria monocytogenes is an intracellular bacteria that can infect a variety of cell types and is the primary cause of human listeriosis [2].  
  • Most listeriosis cases are caused by eating ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. The leading cause of L. monocytogenes contamination in food may be a lack of hygiene in the food production facilities. 
  • Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can be potentially hazardous and even life-threatening in children, adults, and people with impaired immunity.  
  • Listeria monocytogenes infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women, even though healthy people may only have symptoms like high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, stomach discomfort, and diarrhoea. 
  • RTE foods must be free of harmful germs or reduce their concentrations to appropriate levels because they are meant to be consumed without further heating or preparation. For RTE foods to be microbiologically safe, producers and processors must implement various preventative measures against food contamination (FAO and WHO, 2019) [3].  

What Regulations Clarifies: 

  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published guidance on controlling  Listeria monocytogenes for food industries.  
  • Although the intrinsic characteristics, processing temperature, and formulation (such as the presence of antimicrobial substances and other preservatives) are not individually effective in preventing the growth of L. monocytogenes, the interaction of these factors can effectively prevent the growth of L. monocytogenes in food products like deli salads and ready-to-eat food. 
  • Food processing companies should abide by Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) and risk-based preventive controls for human foods (PCHF) to prevent listeria contamination and subsequent product recall [4]. 
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