A plant-based cheese brand has been linked to five serious listeria infections in France.
The 5 cases of listeriosis included 4 pregnant women who gave birth prematurely. They were infected with the same type of Listeria, and from April 2022 she reported symptoms between December. No related deaths have been reported.
Health officials said the patient had consumed products sold under the Jay & Joy brand in the weeks before he became ill.
Sante Public France, National Reference Center (CNR) Listeria, Directorate General for Food (DGAL), Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) and Directorate General for Health (DGS) are involved. Outbreak investigation.
Countermeasures and recall management
The inspection revealed “irregularities” in the company, particularly with respect to controls to control the risk of microbial contamination of products manufactured at the plant. Authorities have suspended the sale of all products stored and manufactured on site. Epidemiological and microbiological investigations are ongoing.
Jay & Joy has issued notices of withdrawal and recall for all products from January 14, 2023 to March 30, 2023. Distributors include Biocoop, Naturalia, Relais Vert, Vita Frais, Natureco and Effegi. People were asked by the authorities not to consume these products and to return the goods to the point of sale.
Distribution of affected products also includes Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, according to a notice on the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) platform. .
Three more cases were confirmed in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. People were interrogated by health authorities in these countries and confirmed to be consuming Jay & Joy products.
The company recalled its products in France for Listeria in April 2022. In July, Jay & Joy issued recalls for possible Listeria contamination in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and in August another recall for Listeria occurred in Belgium.
About Listeria
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell bad, but it can cause serious and sometimes life-threatening infections. Anyone who develops symptoms of the disease should seek medical attention and talk to their doctor about possible exposure to listeria.
People who have eaten any of the recalled products should also be monitored for symptoms of food poisoning in the coming weeks, as it may take up to 70 days after exposure to listeria for symptoms of listeriosis to appear. there is.
Symptoms of listeria infection include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headaches, and a stiff neck. Specific laboratory tests are required to diagnose listerial infections, which can mimic other diseases.
People with weakened immune systems, such as pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and cancer patients, are particularly at risk of serious illness, life-threatening infections, and other complications. Infected pregnant women may experience only mild flu-like symptoms, but the infection can lead to premature birth, neonatal infection, and even stillbirth.
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