New frozen veggies hit by latest listeria recall

A fresh recall of popular frozen vegetables in Australia has been issued less than a month after Woolworths, Aldi and IGA were forced to pull frozen vegetables from shelves over fears they had been contaminated with the deadly listeria virus.

On Wednesday, the New South Wales Food Authority warned that Metcash, one of Australia’s leading wholesale distribution companies, had recalled 1kg packs of Black & Gold Mixed Vegetables.

The products, which were sold in IGA stores and Campbells and Independent Grocers across Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, may also have been contaminated with listeria. As a precaution, the products should not be consumed and should be returned to the point of purchase for a full refund.

Concerned customers are also advised to contact Metcash and to seek medical treatment as soon as possible if they think their health has been compromised in any way.

Listeria can be life-threatening for certain people, particularly those over the age of 60. Those who are over 70, have diabetes, cancer or even suppressed immune systems are most at risk, while it is also known to cause illness in pregnant women and their unborn babies.

Food recall – Black and Gold mixed vegetables 1kg.
The recall is due to possible microbial (Listeria monocytogenes) contamination.
For further information: https://t.co/sHOgUU8FPV pic.twitter.com/Sp0IIRRLH5

— FoodStandardsAusNZ (@FSANZnews) August 1, 2018

In many cases, listeria can be present in natural products without causing any harm. It can be difficult to diagnose as symptoms present at different times. Victims typically show flu-like symptoms including a fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhoea. Symptoms can present immediately, while it can take weeks to impact the health of others.

Read more: Woolies, Aldi and IGA recall frozen vegetables over deadly listeria fears

The latest scare comes as 10 different vegetable products were recalled last month including own-brand Aldi vegetables, bags of Essentials snap frozen mixed vegetables and Bell Farms steam veggie carrot, corn and broccoli bags. Black & Gold branded frozen vegetables were also compromised during the last recall.

As a result of last month’s recall, Australians were being urged to buy home-grown produce in place of frozen veggies imported from Europe.

Food recall – As a precautionary measure some frozen vegetable products are being recalled due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Vulnerable pops need to be aware of the risk of eating uncooked or undercooked frozen vegetables. More at: https://t.co/R0kc3qddp0 pic.twitter.com/X2u1TjVyFj

— FoodStandardsAusNZ (@FSANZnews) July 9, 2018

“We’d like to make it clear that the recall has only affected some frozen vegetable products and that all affected products have been removed from supermarket shelves,” James Whiteside, CEO of AUSVEG told Starts at 60. “All of the recalled products were imported from Hungary/Belgium, so consumers can have confidence that the local fresh and frozen vegetable products available on supermarket shelves are safe and of the highest quality.”

Read more: Aussies urged to ‘buy local’ after listeria fears spark veggie recall

It’s not just Australians who have potentially been exposed to the listeria virus, with Belgium-based frozen food distributor Greenyard Frozen NV recently recalling a range of products from major UK supermarkets including Aldi, Lidl, Iceland, Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose. These stores also removed frozen vegetable products from shelves due to possible listeria contamination.

It comes after several people died of listeria early this year in New South Wales and Victoria after consuming contaminated rockmelon from Rombola Family Farms in the Riverina region.

You can contact Metcash directly on 1300 135 690.

What do you think? Have you purchased these frozen veggies recently? Are you concerned that you may have been exposed to listeria?