News

Go back

13.07.2018 - Foods

Outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes through frozen vegetables in five EU countries

Already in March 2018, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that frozen corn was likely the source of infections from a specific Listeria monocytogenes strain that have been ongoing since 2015. The affected EU countries are Denmark, Finland, Austria, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

As of June 15, 2018, the outbreak includes 47 reported cases of illness and 9 deaths. During the investigation, the outbreak strain was detected in frozen corn, mixed vegetables with corn, spinach, and green beans.

It is suspected that the outbreak strain has persisted in the production environment of a Hungarian plant since 2016. The Hungarian Food Safety Authority ordered an immediate recall of all products from this plant that were produced between 2016 and 2018 at the end of June.

We will keep you informed about further developments.

In our laboratory, we regularly conduct this investigation for Listeria monocytogenes. We provide you with fast and reliable results.

For any questions, our customer advisors are happily available to assist you.

Source: Circular BLL-400-2018, www.bll.de