Listeriosis alerts

Recall of imported frozen vegetable products

9 July 2018: Several lines of frozen vegetables imported from Europe have been recalled due to an outbreak of listeriosis in Europe. The European cases are linked to consuming frozen vegetables manufactured at the same factory in Hungary. To date there are no cases in NSW known to be linked to consuming frozen vegetables.

See the NSW Food Authority alert for details on the recall.

Listeriosis outbreak associated with rockmelon

Twenty-two people were affected by the national listeria outbreak linked to contaminated rockmelon in New South Wales (6), Victoria (8), Queensland (7) and Tasmania (1). All cases were notified to State and Territory Health Departments on or after 26 January 2018. In addition, Australia has been notified of two listeriosis cases in Singapore reported to be genetically linked to the Australian outbreak strain. Further information on the typing and testing methodology is pending on these two cases.

The NSW Food Authority has advised that the outbreak has been linked to one grower in Nericon NSW and have released a summary of their investigation. The outbreak was controlled following the recall of rockmelon from this farm on 1 March 2018.

High risk foods to avoid

All people at risk of listeriosis are reminded to avoid the following foods:

pre-cut melons such as rockmelon or watermelon
pre-packed cold salads including coleslaw and fresh fruit salad
pre-cooked cold chicken, cold delicatessen meats, pâté
raw seafood, uncooked smoked seafood (e.g. smoked salmon)
unpasteurised milk or milk products, soft cheeses (e.g. brie, camembert, ricotta or blue-vein)
sprouted seeds.