The State Veterinary Administration (SVS) in the Czech Republic recently issued a public health alert. The SVS ordered the recall of turkey ham from two major retail chains, Tesco and Globus, due to the presence of the dangerous bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. This bacteria causes listeriosis, a potentially harmful disease, especially for individuals with a weakened immune system.
The turkey ham was distributed in 100-gram packages by the manufacturer LE&CO – Ing. Jiří Lenc, s.r.o., and sold nationwide in Tesco and Globus stores. Tesco received 93 kilograms of this ham from the supplier, while Globus received just under five kilograms, as stated by the veterinarians.
Both retail chains have confirmed that all packages of the non-compliant product have been removed from sale. Customers who purchased the defective turkey ham with an expiry date of March 31 are advised not to consume it and can return it to the place of purchase.
The Regional Veterinary Administration has also ordered the manufacturer to suspend production and its introduction to the market. The manufacturer is also required to carry out exceptional sanitation of the technological equipment and present the result of the investigation of another batch of the product. Only after that will they be allowed to continue production.
It has been suggested that such contamination could have hypothetically occurred due to a breach of hygiene rules by one of the company’s employees during the slicing of the product. The results of all subsequent control tests have been negative, and further samples are continually being sent for further investigation to verify corrective measures, stated Petr Korejs, division manager of LE&CO.