AVA recalls Pinquin frozen mixed vegetables and sweet corn kernels as a precautionary measure of Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in Europe

Pinguin’s frozen mixed vegetables and sweet corn kernels have been recalled by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) as the European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) issued an alert on a multi-country foodborne outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in Europe.

It stated in a press release on Monday (23 July) that the incident was possibly due to microbial contamination from a production plant, Greenyard Frozen, in Hungary.

It then noted that the frozen vegetable products may be re-packed and distributed to other regions. Some of these regions include Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands and Singapore.

The authority stated that as a precautionary measure, it worked with the importers to recall the implicated products from sale and that the recall has been completed.

“Consumers who had purchased the implicated products are advised not to consume it,” AVA added.

The first implicated product is Pinguin’s 1 kg frozen mixed vegetables with any expiry date up to March 2020. Another product is Pinguin’s 2.5 kgs sweet corn kernels with any expiry date up to February 2019. AVA noted that the country of product’s origin are Hungary and other European countries including Belgium and Netherlands.

According to United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year and result in 260 deaths. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.

It is the third-most-common cause of meningitis in newborns. Listeria monocytogenes can infect the brain, spinal cord membranes and/or the bloodstream of the host through the ingestion of contaminated food such as unpasteurized dairy or raw foods.

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