Listeriosis outbreak
Tiger Brands reopens meat plant after listeria outbreak
South Africa issued a recall of all processed meat products called ‘polony' and ordered the closure of some processing plants, after the disease killed more...
This comes after a South Gauteng High Court granted Richard Spoor Attorneys the go ahead to sue Tiger Brands for damages and liability.
The retail giant's reputation has been tarnished after it was identified as the source of the listeria bacteria in March this year.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says the end of the listeriosis outbreak does not mean the disease has disappeared.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that the there is no longer a listeria outbreak in the country.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says several departments and regulators are currently reviewing the existing food control system.
The number of cases reported has risen to 1,033, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said.
The outbreak is expected to have caused around R1 billion in losses to the pork value chain so far due to the changes in consumer perceptions of pork, agricultural economist Paul Makube said.
Around 50 new cases of listeriosis have been reported in South Africa since the outbreak in December, with almost two hundred reported deaths from the disease.
Since January this year, just over 1,000 cases have been reported countrywide.
There have now been 193 confirmed deaths, out of 691 confirmed cases. There are still 320 cases being tested.
Between 17 January and 6 April, Australia reported 19 confirmed and one probable case of listeriosis, all of whom were hospitalised. Seven died.
Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya said the ban was lifted on most food after tests had not revealed the presence of listeria.
Exactly a month since the recall of Enterprise polony, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says that the number of listeriosis cases has decreased significantly.
This brings the total to 121 cases in the province since a countrywide outbreak was first reported last year. Twenty-nine people have died in the Cape from the food-borne disease.
The institute says the death toll caused by listeria is expected to increase over the next few weeks in the Western Cape.
The application for a class action lawsuit was filed in the High Court in Johannesburg on Thursday morning.
Officials from the various departments on Wednesday briefed Parliament on the outbreak and the recall of various meat products.
Members of Parliament received a briefing from officials in the various departments about the listeria outbreak and the recall of certain products on Wednesday.