Corrective action

THE ANNOUNCEMENT that two of the biggest processed food manufacturers had been issued with safety recall notices following the outbreak of listeria caused a certain level of hysteria among consumers countrywide.

As retailers scrambled to remove ready-to-eat processed meat from their fridges and disinfect them to prevent any risk of cross-contamination, consumers emptied out their fridges too, returning highly processed meats to stores, including polony and sausages.

Aside from getting a refund, this is a better option than throwing the meat out where there is the danger that it is picked up by those who are hungry and may lead to further instances of chronic food poisoning and even death.

As the public waited to hear what would happen next, senior management at Tiger Brands unit Enterprise Food and Rainbow Chicken’s RCL Foods were locked in meetings. Tiger Brand’s chief executive Lawrence MacDougall addressed the media on television, but refused to take any responsibility.

He said there was no direct link that had been proved between Enterprise products and the deaths of 181 people including children, and hundreds of others who fell ill from listeriosis.

Besides wondering how this virulent bacteria got into their processing plant, the financial implications of stopping production and the recall, they will have to consider the reputational damage to brands which are such a mainstay of the South African consumer market.

Not all ready-to-eat processed meat is affected, or going to make one sick, but Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi was taking no chances when he advised people to avoid it altogether.

MacDougall said they had taken urgent corrective action, going well beyond what the department desired, in closing the processing plants in Polokwane and Germiston and voluntarily withdrawing all products from the market, not only the three listed.

This case has been a wake-up call for consumers to consider what they eat.

While the testing continues, we urge honesty between producers, the authorities and the public, and that we, the consumers, continue be kept informed every step of the way.

Nothing less will do if we are to avoid repeating a situation that has resulted in the loss of lives.