Food - Drink
Deli Meats And Cheeses Are The Likely Source Of New Listeria Outbreak
By AUTUMN SWIERS
According to the CDC, listeria outbreaks are quite insidious and hard to track down; infected foods don't appear to be spoiled, and infected people don't always exhibit symptoms right away. During fall of 2022, listeria outbreaks have been reported across the U.S., and investigators are zeroing in on deli meats and cheeses as the cause.
As of November, the listeria outbreak spans six states: New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, and California. 16 people have been reported ill, and five of the seven affected persons in New York said they had purchased sliced deli meat and/or cheese from NetCost Markets in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Food Safety News reports that listeria was indeed found in open packages of deli meat at the aforementioned NetCost Markets, leading the company to shutter both locations, then reopen after extensive sanitization and a negative listeria test result. However, the CDC says that the outbreak is almost certainly connected to other delis.
Deli countertops and meat slicers are ideal grounds for the breeding of listeria. Affected products include cold cuts, lunch meats, hot dogs, pâtés, and cheeses, and the CDC says that persons who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or over 65 should stay away from deli counter meats and cheeses unless they are prepared steaming-hot.