MOUSSES, ice-creams and yoghurts have been urgently recalled after the deaths of three people in NHS hospitals last year.
The patients are thought to have contracted food poisoning after eating puddings contaminated with listeria bacteria while in hospital.
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A further two people fell ill after being given the desserts, the UKHealthSecurity Agency (UKHSA) and Food Standards Agency (FSA) said.
Listeria is a food-borne bacterium that - in rare cases - causes a nasty infection called listeriosis.
Most people will recover from the illness, but it can make some people seriously unwell - especially if they're older, pregnant or have a weakened immune system.
The bug can contaminate a wide range of foods, but most infections are caused by eating chilled, ready-to-eat foods.
Read more on listeria
A routine sampling of desserts at two NHS hospitals in the South West of England in February this year prompted health and food watchdogs to launch a country-wide investigation, after two mousse flavours were found to contain listeria monocytogenes.
Both puddings - a chocolate and vanilla mousse and a strawberry and vanilla one - were made by the brand Cool Delight Desserts at a manufacturing facility in Chesire.
Suspecting the desserts to be source of the listeriosis outbreak, the FSA recalled other products made by the brand as a "precautionary" measure advised hospitals and care homes to stop serving them to patients.
The FSA noted that only ice cream, ice cream rolls, mousses and yoghurts made at the Chesire manufacturing facility were being recalled.
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"If you are unsure if the Cool Delights products were manufactured by the site listed above, place the products on hold, and contact your supplier to confirm where they were manufactured," it told hospitals.
The amount of listeria bacteria detected in the mousses - which have a two year shelf life - was actually bellow "below maximum thresholds set out in food legislation for fit and healthy consumers".
Video explains what Listeria is and how the bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea is spread
But the FSA said "severely immunocompromised patients in hospitals and other health care settings" were "more likely to suffer severe symptoms from listeria infection".
Symptoms of listeriosis
In most people, listeriosis has no symptoms or only causes mild symptoms for a few days.
According to the NHS, these may include:
- A high temperature
- Aches and pains
- Chills
- Feeling or being sick
- Diarrhoea
Pregnant people may also have a stomach ache or notice their baby moving less than usual.
Meanwhile, babies with listeriosis may also be irritable and feed less than usual.
Symptoms tend to strike within 24 hours after eating food contaminated withlisteria and usually last one to three days.
The infection won't be serious for most people.
What foods are most likely to cause listeriosis?
Although listeria can contaminate a wide range of foods, it is more common in ready-to-eat foods.
Ready-to-eat foods are foods which are intended to be eaten without further preparation, such as heating or cooking.
Examples include:
- Cold pre-cooked meats – such as chicken
- Deli meats – such as salami and cold cuts
- Smoked and cured fish – including sushi
- Cooked shellfish
- Soft mould-ripened cheeses – such as camembert, brie, and blue-veined cheeses
- Pâté
- Unpasteurised milk, or products made from unpasteurised milk
- Pre-prepared sandwiches and salads
- Pre-cut fruits (for example, pre-packed melon slices)
To reduce the risk of listeriosis, it’s important to:
- Keep foods cold until you are ready to eat them - make sure your fridge temperature is set at 5°C or below.
- Refrigerate foods as soon as possible after purchase
- Eat ready-to-eat foods within four hours of removing them from the fridge
- Always eat, cook or freeze foods by their use-by date. Foods after their use-by date may look and smell fine, but they could be unsafe and make you ill. You cannot see, smell or taste bacteria that causes foodborne illness.
- Always follow the storage instructions, including those for opened foods, provided on the label. If there are no instructions, use opened foods within two days.
- Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate to avoid cross-contamination
- Follow the cooking instructions on packaging when applicable, and cook or reheat foods (including frozen vegetables) until they are steaming hot right through
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water before, during and after meal preparation
Source: FSA
But the risk of severe illness increases with age, and there is a risk of miscarriage for pregnant women.
In babies and people with a weakened immune system, listeriosis can sometimes progress to serious and life-threatening problems such as sepsis or meningitis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeriosis is called 'invasive' if it spreads to other parts of the body beyond the gut.
This can happen up to two weeks after eating food contaminated with listeria and can be fatal.
Aside from the five symptoms mentioned about, people may also suffer from a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and seizures from an invasive infection.
More on the outbreak
The five listeriosis cases were reported between May and December 2024, in patients aged 68 to 89.
Two cases were spotted in hospitals inYorkshireand Humber and one each in theNorth West,West MidlandsandWales.
All the patients had underlying health conditions and were already in hospital when they fell ill.
Out the three who passed away, listeria monocytogenes were listed as a cause of death for one.
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The FSA said it and relevant health authorities were also looking at other possible causes of the outbreak.
Meanwhile, a representative from Cool Delight Desserts toldFood Safety Newsthat the company was in ongoing discussions with the FSA and was unable to comment until the investigations were concluded.
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