Cold meats recalled

Namibia has recalled all products linked to the listeria outbreak in South Africa and also cancelled all permits issued to manufacturers of these products.South Africa recalled ready-to-eat meat products from shops after scientists traced the source of the dangerous food-borne disease to the Enterprise Food Production plant located in Polokwane. Two other facilities, an Enterprise facility in Germiston on the East Rand, and a Rainbow Chicken facility in the Free State, have also since been singled out as a source of the outbreak that started in January last year. Enterprise polony was identified as a source of the disease, but other products such as viennas, russians, frankfurters and other sausages and cold meats not typically cooked could also be affected by cross-contamination. The chief veterinary officer in the agriculture ministry, Dr Milton Masheke, yesterday confirmed that these three facilities had been identified as the source of the outbreak in South Africa. Masheke said all products from these facilities dating back as far as October last year will be recalled from shops in Namibia. By yesterday morning the ministry was still drafting a notice to inform the public and the retail sector about the recall of these products. Masheke said the notice would be ready by 11:00 yesterday. He said the recalled products included all ready-to-eat meat products manufactured by Enterprise Foods and Rainbow Foods, such as polony, sausages and ham. Food that needs to be cooked, such as bacon, is not included. Although the ministry has stressed the safety measures that are taken when importing food into Namibia, Masheke said these specific products might pose a risk to people's lives and therefore had to be recalled. According to Masheke strict measures are in place for testing food products before they are imported, including testing for listeria contamination. He warned that the biggest threat to public health is cooking in unhygienic conditions. When meat is properly cooked the bacteria are destroyed even if the meat was contaminated.The listeria infection is spread by raw food products that are contaminated with the bacteria.However, he pointed out that cross-contamination between foods can also take place and it is therefore important to wash your hands when working with food.Masheke furthermore stressed that the agriculture ministry and the health ministry were working closely together to collect all the recalled food products. They haven't decided what to do with the products, but they will probably be incinerated. Shops in Namibia have been removing the products from their shelves since Sunday already. The Shoprite Group in Namibia said all Enterprise and Rainbow products had been removed.Johan Mostert of Spar Namibia also confirmed that they were removing all these products from their shelves. “We actually import very few Enterprise products ourselves and have a local supplier that will be uplifting all our stock for us.”Mostert said customers would be refunded if they returned the products to Spar shops. “We are definitely playing ball, as this is a very serious matter.”Pick n Pay (PnP) Namibia – a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group - said it had issued an urgent instruction to its branches countrywide to immediately remove all Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken Limited (RCL) products from their shelves.O&L spokesperson Roux-Che Locke said the safety of their customers was their first priority. “We believe that the impact of the recall on the Namibian market is not as severe since Pick n Pay Namibia has a diversity of suppliers, many of whom are local. While we are not aware of any confirmed reports of listeria in Namibia, we have taken this step as a precautionary measure as our customers' safety is important to us. Any customer who is concerned that they may have bought any affected meat product linked to the outbreak can return it to any of our stores for a full refund.”Retailers must clean their fridges and meat slicers, and either remove the ready-to-eat meat products or place them in plastic bags in separate fridges.South Africa has recorded 948 cases of listeriosis and 180 deaths, according to the latest statistics.Pregnant women, babies, elderly people and anyone with weakened immune systems are at particular risk.The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes can contaminate animal products and fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables.The listeria bacteria cause a flu-like illness with diarrhoea, fever, body aches, vomiting and weakness, as well as infection of the bloodstream and infection of the brain. Zambia has also announced that it is recalling ready-to-eat meat products imported from South Africa. ELLANIE SMIT

Cold meats recalled

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-02

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Cold meats recalled

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-02

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