We comply with up on one of many massive tales of current days: the listeria outbreak. Inspection stories present myriad issues on the Boar’s Head deli meat manufacturing facility the place the outbreak originated.
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The listeria outbreak that started in Could remains to be killing folks and should pose a risk to much more folks. The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention mentioned final week that 9 folks have died, making it the worst outbreak since 2011. That is due to quite a few issues on the Boar’s Head deli meat manufacturing facility the place the uncommon however lethal foodborne micro organism has been traced. NPR shopper well being correspondent Yuki Noguchi joins us now. Good morning.
YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Good morning.
RASCOE: Yuki, how is that this outbreak nonetheless killing folks three months later?
NOGUCHI: Yeah, it is as a result of the quantity of meat concerned is huge. You understand, a few of it has an extended shelf life, additionally. So some shoppers may very well nonetheless have some of their fridge. And though many individuals get sick inside two weeks of consuming unhealthy listeria micro organism, it will possibly take as much as 10 weeks to incubate. So individuals who ate the stuff a pair months in the past could now simply be getting sick with, you realize, fever, stiffness and muscle aches and stuff like that.
RASCOE: Wow. The manufacturing facility you talked about was apparently not in compliance. What had been a number of the issues discovered there?
NOGUCHI: You understand, the USDA’s meals security inspection stories paint a reasonably bleak and revolting image, spanning plenty of years and plenty of the descriptions of closely discolored or malodorous meat or meat particles splattered on the partitions or in between blades. You understand, ones from earlier this yr describe numerous useless bugs and dripping ceilings, mildew and black mildew close to machines. So, you realize, these stories present sanitation violations had been routine and never remoted. And so whereas the unique listeria contamination has been traced to Boar’s Head liverwurst, that manufacturing facility additionally made 70 different merchandise utilizing a number of the identical machines, in order that’s why it is simply unfold so uncontrollably.
RASCOE: So what are the chance right here, and the way ought to shoppers attempt to include them?
NOGUCHI: That is simply it. I imply, listeria may be very laborious to include. If a deli slicer cuts a contaminated piece of meat, something that touches it after that may also be contaminated. The particular person touching the meat may then additionally unfold it, you realize, by way of their fingers or the counter tops. The micro organism may unfold in folks’s fridges and infect different meals. So the massive factor to know is whether or not you might have recalled product in your house. You understand, there is a particular quantity. It is 12612. That is on the inspection labels to search for on this case, however that is listed additionally on the CDC’s meals recall listing.
Like I mentioned, these things has lengthy shelf lives. A few of it would not even have sell-by dates till October. And so if you happen to do have that stuff, finest to throw it out after which clear the fridge and each floor that may have are available in contact with it. And other people ought to know the signs are sort of flu-like – muscle aches, fever, resulting in elevated stiffness and even seizures. Folks ought to see their physician if they think a case, and the therapy in extreme circumstances is an antibiotic. We must always add that the corporate in the meantime says it deeply regrets the impression this has had on shoppers and has suspended operations at that plant till security requirements are met.
RASCOE: That is NPR’s Yuki Noguchi. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.
NOGUCHI: Thanks.
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