News has broken today about multiple household brands being the source of the Listeria outbreak. This is how to eliminate it from your home.
Listeria has been featuring in the news for some time now but since the announcement that contaminated products included many household staples, the news has practically exploded. Many retailers have recalled certain products and are offering full refunds.
If you fear that Listeria may have contaminated your kitchen, these are some tips to eliminate the bacteria.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has shared a helpful list on how to clean your kitchen to avoid spreading the bacterium.
Listeria can contaminate other food products through spills in the fridge.
- Clean up all spills in your fridge right away—especially juices from processed foods and raw meats. Consider
- Use paper towels to avoid transferring germs from a cloth towel;
- Clean the inside walls and shelves of your refrigerator with warm water and liquid soap, then rinse. Once a month, clean the fridge with a mixture of bleach and water (one teaspoon of bleach with one litre of water).
Listeria can spread from one surface to another.
- Thoroughly wash food preparation surfaces with warm, soapy water. Every month, clean the surfaces with
- a mixture of bleach and water (one teaspoon of bleach with one litre of water).
- Wash cutting boards with warm, soapy water after each use. Nonporous acrylic, plastic, or glass boards can be washed in a dishwasher;
- Dishcloths, towels and cloth grocery bags should be washed often in hot water or in the hot cycle of a washing machine;
- It is also important to wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
‘Unlike most other foodborne pathogens, Listeria monocytogenes can grow in refrigerated foods that are contaminated. To prevent this, it is recommended to have fridge temperatures below 4 degrees C; and freezer temperatures below -18 degrees C. Check the refrigerator temperature often and be sure to keep foods as cold as possible without causing them to freeze.’
Always ensure that good basic food hygiene is followed. This includes:
- Thoroughly cook raw foods – all bacteria are killed at temperatures above 70oC;
- Wash your hands before preparing food, before eating and after going to the toilet;
- Wash raw vegetables and fruits thoroughly before eating;
- Separate raw and cooked food, and don’t mix utensils and surfaces when preparing food;
- Wrap or cover foods with a sheet of plastic wrap or foil, or put foods in plastic bags or clean covered containers before you place them in the refrigerator. Make certain foods do not leak juices onto other foods;
- Use leftover, precooked and ready-to-eat foods as soon as possible. The longer they are stored in the refrigerator, the more chance Listeria has to grow.
INFECTION WITH LISTERIA MAY RESULT IN THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS
- Flu-like illness with diarrhoea including fever, general body pains, vomiting and weakness.
- Infection of the bloodstream which is called septicaemia.
- Meningoencephalitis (infection of the brain).
Individuals at high risk of developing severe disease include newborns, the elderly, pregnant women, persons with weak immunity such as HIV, diabetes, cancer, chronic liver or kidney disease.
According to the Department of Health, the age groups that are most affected are neonates, that means the first 28 days of life (37%) and the age group between 15 to 49 years (33%). It states that The two groups comprise 70 percent of all cases.
If you have any of these symptoms, please visit your doctor immediately.
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