by Dagny Taggart, The Organic Prepper:

Over 90 percent of people who become infected with it are hospitalized. It carries a mortality rate of 20 to 30 percent. Symptoms can appear as early as the same day of exposure, or as late as 70 to 90 days after infection. It can live in cold temperatures, multiplies rapidly, and can live for years on equipment in places food is prepared.

And, it is back in the news because there are several outbreaks and recalls involving this particular pathogen – Listeria.

Here’s what you need to know about Listeria.

Listeria monocytogenes (commonly referred to as simply Listeria) is a type of bacteria found in soil and water and some animals, including poultry and cattle. It is widespread in the environment. Animals, particularly cattle, can carry L. monocytogenes without appearing sick and shed the bacteria in their feces.

Unlike many other foodborne bacteria, Listeria can continue to grow in cold temperatures – including in the refrigerator. It can withstand high temperatures as well and can tolerate both acidic and salty conditions. It can multiply rapidly, spreading from one food to another. Listeria can live for years (it stuck around for 10 years in one documented instance) on equipment in places food is prepared, including food processing plants, grocery stores, and delis. These qualities make Listeria a formidable threat, as it is hard to control and can cause intermittent contamination of food.

People can become ill with an infection called listeriosis after eating food contaminated with Listeria.

Listeriosis is a leading cause of hospitalization and death due to foodborne illness, especially in high-income, industrialized countries.

Not everyone exposed to Listeria gets sick from it, but when they do, it can cause serious illness. While infection is rare compared to other foodborne illnesses like Salmonella, Norovirus, Campylobacter, and E. coli, listeriosis is quite deadly. Even with adequate antibiotic treatment, the disease has a high mortality rate of 20 to 30 percent. Over 90 percent of people with listeriosis are hospitalized, often in intensive care units. Approximately one in five victims who become sick from Listeria die from the infection.

Symptoms of listeriosis can begin as early as the same day of exposure or as late as 70 days after infection (some have reported 90 days).

Listeriosis is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems:

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food. (source)

Listeria is killed by cooking foods to the proper temperature (165 degrees F) and pasteurization.

Common sources of Listeria include:

• Ready-to-eat deli meats and hot dogs


• Refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads


• Unpasteurized (raw) milk and dairy products


• Soft cheese made with unpasteurized milk, such as queso fresco, Feta, Brie, Camembert


• Refrigerated smoked seafood


• Raw sprouts

Some research suggests that cold cuts sliced at deli counters are more than five times as likely to be contaminated with listeria than pre-packaged cold cuts, usually because of in-store contamination. However, that does not mean that pre-packaged deli meats and cheeses pose no risk.

There are at least seven current recalls involving Listeria.

Check your refrigerators for these products – officials are recommending that you do not consume them. If you have already eaten them, monitor yourself for symptoms for the next few weeks at the least (remember, symptoms of Listeriosis can take 70 days or more to appear). In some cases, manufacturers are issuing refunds for affected products.

Consider Bardwell Farm cheese

Routine testing revealed Listeria contamination in finished cheese and the equipment made to make it, causing Consider Bardwell Farm LLC to recall products in five states, reports Food Safety News:

In a recall notice officials with the West Pawlet, VT, company said no confirmed illnesses had been reported as of today. 

The notice, posted on the website of the Food and Drug Administration, says the company distributed the cheeses in California, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Vermont. The company did not include any information on specific retailers or distributors that received the cheeses. (source)

In a September 30 press release, the company listed the potentially contaminated products they are voluntarily recalling. To see the list of recalled products, click here, and to see the recalled batch numbers, click here. If you have purchased any of the impacted products, Consider Bardwell Farm recommends that you destroy them or return them to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 802-645-9928.

In response to the recall, Whole Foods Market stores in the Northeast and North Atlantic regions are voluntarily recalling Dorset cheese, according to Food Safety News:

The affected product was sold at Whole Foods Market stores in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. The affected product was cut and wrapped in plastic with a Whole Foods Market scale label, identifiable by PLU code 97776 with sell-by dates through 10/30/2019.

No confirmed illnesses had been reported as of the posting of the recall notice.

Customers who purchased this product at Whole Foods Market can bring a valid receipt into stores for a full refund. 

Consumers with additional questions can call 1-844-936-8255. (source)

Multiple brands of frozen chicken products

On September 28, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that “Tip Top Poultry, Inc, a Rockmart, Ga., establishment, is recalling an undetermined amount of ready-to-eat (RTE) poultry products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes”:

The frozen cooked, diced or shredded, RTE chicken products were produced between January 21, 2019 and September 24, 2019. The products subject to recall can be found in this spreadsheet.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “Est. P-17453” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to institutions nationwide in the United States and Canada. (source)

Impacted brands in the US include Tip Top, Butterball, Perdue, GFS, Clean Eatz Cafe, Sysco, Delizous Farms, and West Creek.

To see the list of recalled products in Canada, click here: Food Recall Warning – Various cooked diced chicken meat products recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes

The USDA recommends throwing these products out or returning them to the place of purchase.

Deli trays in Canada

Metro Ontario Inc. is recalling Metro brand deli trays due to possible Listeria contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). To see a list of recalled products, click here: Deli trays recalled in Ontario for possible Listeria contamination

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