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6 Fast Facts About Listeria

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6 Fast Facts About Listeria

The bacteria has been found in Dr. Praeger's and Trader Joe's veggie burgers, Quaker Quinoa Granola Bars, and frozen vegetables and fruits. Here's what you need to know about listeria.









            Listeria is estimated to cause 19 percent of all deaths from foodborne infection.

It's almost too hard to keep up. After a major recall of frozen fruits and vegetables earlier this month, now your favorite veggie burgers or granola bars may containlisteria, a group of bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.



This week, Dr. Praeger's, which makes frozen vegetable products under its own name and for stores like Trader Joe's, announced a recall of their frozen, not-ready-to-eat veggie burgers. And the Quaker Oats Company has voluntarily recalled its Quaker Quinoa Granola Bars due to possible contamination from a sunflower seed supplier.







 On May 9, Kroger recalled its Simple Truth Organic Mixed Vegetables and several other varieties of frozen vegetables. Kroger's Broccoli Raisin Salad was also recalled due to another suspected contamination from sunflower seeds. These recalls come on the heels of CRF Frozen Foods' massive voluntary recall of all organic and traditional frozen vegetable and fruit products processed in its Pasco, Washington, facility since May 1, 2014. For a complete and updated list of the recalled food items, visit the FDA website.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed CRF Frozen Foods that seven people from three states have been hospitalized as a result of listeria contamination in their products. Two of the seven infected have died, although the cause of death was not due to listeria. To date, no customer illnesses have been confirmed as a result of eating Dr. Praeger's veggie burgers, Quaker Quinoa Granola Bars, or products purchased at Kroger.



So just what is listeria, and why is it estimated to cause 19 percent of all deaths from foodborne infection? Here are six essential facts about this unusual illness that you need to know:

Listeria is a type of bacteria that can contaminate food, and when eaten, cause a serious infection called listeriosis. It commonly affects people with weakened immune systems, but on rare occasions can affect healthy people as well. The most common symptoms of listeria are fever and muscle aches, along with diarrhea.

Listeria has been found in raw, cooked, and processed foods. It’s not just frozen foods that are susceptible to listeria contamination. The bacteria has also been found in fruits, vegetables, uncooked meats and vegetables, soft cheeses, and cooked and processed meats. Unpasteurized milk products are especially likely to contain listeria. Although the bacteria is killed by pasteurization and cooking, in ready-to-eat foods like hot dogs and deli meats, the contamination may occur after cooking but before packaging.

The incubation period for listeria infection is surprisingly long.While most foodborne illnesses tend to affect a person immediately after the tainted food is consumed, the diarrhea and fever that can come from consuming listeria bacteria may not hit until much later. “It can be one to three weeks, or two months in some cases," says Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC.

Listeria can flourish in the cold. In general, the CDC recommends that your refrigerator be set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, and the freezer at zero degrees or lower, to keep food safe. But unlike other foodborne bacteria like salmonella, listeria can thrive in cold temperatures — even in a fridge. That’s why it’s important to throw out any foods that can potentially be contaminated with it, even if your refrigerator is properly chilled.

Listeria can live in soil and water. After a 2011 listeria outbreak involving cantaloupes, the CDC warned people not to try to wash bacteria away from affected fruit, as both the inside and the outside may be contaminated. This is because listeria survives in both soil and water. What's more, the hardy bacteria can even live in a food processing plant for years.

Listeria is most likely to infect four types of people. People with healthy immune systems rarely fall ill from listeria. It's more likely to affect people with weakened immune systems, including pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and those with immune disorders such as HIV. Pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than healthy people to develop a severe infection from listeria, according to the CDC. The severity of the infection in higher-risk people accounts for the relatively high death rate of 20 percent.

Protecting Yourself From Listeria

By following good food safety rules, you can avoid listeria as well as other foodborne illnesses. Always cook raw meats thoroughly, rinse raw fruits and vegetables before eating — this can help wash off other bacteria, although not listeria — and avoid drinking raw (unpasteurized) milk. If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or a state health agency orders a food recall on a product you have at home, and you aren’t sure if your purchase is affected, throw it out to be on the safe side. For pregnant women and others at high risk, the CDC recommends avoiding hot dogs, deli meats, and processed lunch meats — or heating them to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit before eating — as well as avoiding unpasteurized cheeses and smoked seafoods.

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