Health warnings regarding food products and listeria infection are aimed at people with an increased risk, according to Tasmania's director of public health, who says there's no evidence that any product released for sale contained more listeria than food standards stipulate.
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It comes after smoked salmon, believed to be from Tasmania, was identified as the likely source of listeriosis which has killed two people interstate - one in NSW and another in Victoria.
Public health director Dr Mark Veitch said health warnings for listeria only applied to those most at risk of infection, including the elderly, pregnant women, newborn babies, and people who have weakened immune systems through cancer or transplants.
"These people are at much higher risk of a listeria infection than other people and therefore should avoid foods that may contain small amounts of listeria," he said.
"People who are otherwise healthy and not pregnant are at very low risk of listeria."
In other news:
Listeriosis is an illness usually caused by eating food contaminated by the bacterium listeria monocytogenes.
Foods with a higher risk of listeria contamination include cold meats, cold smoked-salmon, pre-packaged salads, soft cheese and pate, soft serve ice-cream and rockmelon.
Tasmanian salmon producers Petuna Aquaculture, Huon Aquaculture and Tassal have all maintained that recent testings of their products returned no positive results for listeria, or any breaches of national food safety standards.
A spokeswoman for Huon Aquaculture said consumers could be confident that its cold smoked salmon was thoroughly monitored and regulated.
"Health authorities have not issued a food recall," she said.
"The link to Tasmania is simply that the fish were grown here. There is no evidence that the contamination occurred here."
Dr Veitch said all three interstate cases of listeria infection occurred in people aged over 70, with existing health conditions that put them at an increased risk.
"There has been no evidence that any product having been released for sale containing more listeria than food standards stipulate," he said.
"This is why there has been no food recall, and why people who are not in a risk category do not need to avoid these foods."
Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive Peter Skillern said it was important people didn't jump to conclusions, before the facts came to light.
"This is obviously a fishing industry issue, but there is still more detail needed to ascertain the source of the listeria," he said.
"Obviously it's concerning that it involves Tasmanian produce. We will obviously have to monitor this situation closely over the coming days as more information comes to hand.
"The broader potential issue here is around the Tasmanian brand.
"Anything that has the potential to damage the Tasmanian brand is of concern, but I think the key here is ascertaining the source of the listeria contamination."
What is listeria?
Listeriosis is an illness usually caused by eating food contaminated by the bacterium listeria monocytogenes.
The bacteria are widely distributed in the environment and can grow in food at refrigeration temperatures.
Most people who are exposed to listeria will only develop mild symptoms, though illness can be severe in those most at-risk.
Those at increased risk of illness include pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborn babies, the elderly, and people of all ages with immune systems weakened by illness or medication.
Listeria infection starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and sometimes diarrhoea.
People can start experiencing symptoms within a few days, but symptoms can take a number of weeks to appear after eating a contaminated product.
Foods that have a higher risk of listeria contamination include:
- chilled seafood such as raw oysters, sashimi and sushi, smoked ready-to-eat seafood and cooked ready-to-eat prawns
- cold meats from delicatessen counters and sandwich bars, and packaged, sliced ready-to-eat meats
- cold cooked ready-to-eat chicken (whole, portions, or diced)
- rockmelon
- pre-prepared or pre-packaged fruit or vegetable salads, including those from buffets and salad bars
- soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and feta
- refrigerated paté or meat spreads
- soft serve ice cream