Counting the cost of listeriosis outbreak
Davies warns of economic fallout
The current listeriosis outbreak could have a financial impact that extends far beyond the companies at the heart of the current crisis‚ Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies told parliament yesterday.
“We have a significant reputational challenge which we now need to confront.
“Recovering from incidents like this is a massive challenge for companies concerned. They need to embrace it with a spirit of transparency. The same applies to us as a country‚” Davies told a joint sitting of parliament’s portfolio committees on health‚ agriculture‚ and trade and industry.
South Africa’s listeriosis outbreak is the worst in recorded history and has been responsible for 185 deaths‚ according to the Health Department.
On March 4 the National Institute for Communicable Diseases identified listeria monocytogenes‚ the bacteria that causes listeriosis‚ in ready-to-eat processed meats made by Tiger Brands and RCL Foods. The bacteria was found in samples of Tiger Brands’ Enterprise polony and sausages and in polony made by RCL Foods.
The National Consumer Commission subsequently ordered product recalls and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries suspended the companies’ export certificates. Tiger Brands has since also recalled its Snax range of products due to contamination.
Exports of sausages and similar products were worth an average of R209-million a year‚ and exports of other prepared meat products averaged R524-million a year‚ the Department of Trade and Industry’s chief director for international trade and economic development Niki Kruger told MPs.
While exports of the affected products represented just 0.01% of SA’s global exports‚ the outbreak had affected exports of other foodstuffs‚ she said. Rwanda banned imports of South African dairy‚ meat‚ fruit and vegetables in December. Other countries have banned the import of SA processed meat products‚ including Zambia‚ Malawi‚ Botswana and Namibia.
Determining how listeria had been introduced into Tiger Brands and RCL production facilities was vital‚ said Davies.
“The sooner we can come to some certainty about the common thread between the factories‚ the better‚” he said.
“If there is a listeria outbreak in another country traced back to South Africa‚ we are in big‚ deep trouble.”
Davies blamed industry for the lack of compulsory safety standards for processed meat products‚ saying business had resisted efforts by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications to introduce it four years ago. The NRCS referred the issue to the Department of Health‚ which has yet to craft legally binding safety standards for these products.
“We need to rapidly and urgently develop a compulsory standard for processed meat. That is a no-brainer.”