Sausages recalled over possible Listeria contamination

Washington, United States, December 27: Amid concerns of possible Listeria contamination, T. Piekutowski European Style Sausage, a St. Louis, Missouri firm, has announced a voluntary recall of approximately 750 pounds of sausage products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed.

The sausage products manufactured on Dec. 18, 2008 were sold at the establishment’s retail counter in St. Louis, Missouri on Dec. 18 and 19, 2008.

The recalled sausage products include all sizes of Krakow sausages sold, wrapped in unmarked butcher paper carrying no label (as the products were custom wrapped at the time of sale, packages do not bear any establishment number or a USDA mark of inspection), the USDA emphasized.

While no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of the potentially tainted sausages have aired so far, the contamination unearthed during routine microbiological testing carried out by FSIS (USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service), the authorities confirmed.

Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium responsible for an uncommon but fatal disease, listeriosis, is commonly found in soil, vegetation, meat, unpasteurized milk and poultry products. The infection afflicts an estimated 2,500 people in the United States each year with a fatality rate of 200 per 1000 cases.

Capable of thriving at low temperatures, the bacterium usually invades the body through food route. Upon invasion, it travels through the blood stream damaging vital body cells.

While the infection produces symptoms that are typically flu-like, settling in days or weeks time, in acute cases it can cause meningitis (brain inflammation) and septicemia (whole-body inflammation) that can prove fatal. Pregnant women, newborn and those with compromised immune systems are most susceptible to severe reactions.

To avoid listeria contamination, people are advised to wash hands with warm, soapy water before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Cutting boards, dishes and utensils too should be washed with hot, soapy water after each use.

Raw and uncooked meat, fish and poultry should be stored away from cooked and ready-to-eat foods. Avoid drinking unpasteurized milk.

Consumers in possession of the potentially tainted sausages can return the contaminated products at the place of sale for a full refund.