Listeria Pathogen Can Be Fatal

Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can cause a potentially fatal disease in people with vulnerable immune systems. Listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from food poisoning in the United States. About 1,600 people get sick from Listeria each year and about 260 die. ¹ A number of food borne outbreaks in recent years have been attributed to Listeria. In 2016, a total of 358 frozen food products were recalled amid a Listeria outbreak that hit at least three states. ² In 2011 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 146 people in 28 states were infected, 30 people died, and one person miscarried from cantaloupes contaminated with Listeria. It was the deadliest food borne illness outbreak in over 25 years. FDA officials concluded that new processing equipment and the decision to use a packing and washing technology involving non-chlorinated water were two probable causes of the outbreak. ³