December 2005

December 30, 2005
The Advertiser
Lisa Allison
THE grieving widow of the state’s second listeria food-poisoning victim fears she may never know how her husband of 38 years contracted the deadly bacteria.
Breaking her silence to The Advertiser, Lorna Davies-Colgate said she was still waiting for the Health Department to tell her how her husband David, 60, was infected.
Although he had been seriously ill, Mrs Davies-Colgate had been hopeful her husband would celebrate Christmas with their family.
She said she felt the listeria had “cheated” her of precious time with her husband and it had been a “sad Christmas” and would be an “even sadder New Year”.Continue Reading Listeria widow’s search for answers

December 29, 2005
ABC News Online
Adelaide smallgoods company Conroy’s will resume limited production today in a bid to reopen its doors after a food poisoning outbreak.
The company’s ready-to-eat meats were recalled about two weeks ago after traces of listeria were found in its factory.
The bacterial strain identified is the same as that found to have infected two patients in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, one of whom died.
Conroy’s managing director Pat Conroy says today’s test run will be boosted after new results from tests it commissioned.Continue Reading Conroy’s tests production processes

By The Associated Press
Dec 28, 2005 : 6:25 pm ET
The following recall has been announced:
–About 364 packages of Double Chili Dogs, manufactured by Scobee Foods Inc., because of the product may be contaminated with the listeria mononcytogenes bacteria. No illnesses have been reported to date. The recalled products bear a sell-by date…

December 23, 2005
ABC News Online
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1537025.htm
The South Australia Opposition says it will use Freedom of Information
(FOI) powers to gain access to State Government documents over the
handling of listeria deaths at Adelaide hospitals.
One man died and a woman is still recovering after contracting listeria,
which has been linked to Conroy’s Smallgoods served from the Royal
Adelaide Hospital’s kitchen.Continue Reading Listeria FOI request a ‘media stunt’

December 23, 2005
ABC News Online
Conroys smallgoods in Adelaide remains hopeful it will be able to recommence limited production next week.
Managing director Patrick Conroy says tests for listeria in the manufacturing area of Conroys are progressing well.
The company expects a limited range of products to be produced and tested for the bacteria…

December 16, 2005
The Australian
Tom Richardson
SOUTH Australia’s deadly listeria crisis has exposed a rift in state Government ranks, with one senior minister suggesting that a “zero tolerance” policy on food contamination may be “too rigorous” on meat producers.
Two patients have died in the state’s public hospitals in recent weeks after an outbreak of listeria poisoning that has been linked to meat from local producer Conroy’s Smallgoods, which has accused the Rann Government of overreacting by recalling its entire ready-to-eat product range.Continue Reading Political row over listeria response

December 14, 2005
The World Today
Reporter: Nance Haxton
KAREN PERCY: The South Australian Government has been accused of not acting quickly enough to recall suspect smallgoods products after a food poisoning outbreak claimed two lives.
Two more people are still recovering.
The Conroys Smallgoods factory in Adelaide has already axed 30 casual jobs, and the future of the 90 people permanent employees is dependent on whether a firm link can be established between Listeria found on meat produced by Conroys and the meat eaten by four hospital patients.Continue Reading A Govt under fire after food poisoning outbreak

Contact:
Matt Hall
314-259-7223
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Downers Grove, IL — December 13, 2005 — Sara Lee Food & Beverage today announced that it is voluntarily recalling select cheeseburger and chicken biscuit products sold under the Jimmy Dean, Rudy’s Farm and State Fair brands.
The company immediately took this precaution after it was notified by its cheese supplier that one of the supplier’s cheese products could potentially contain Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection may cause miscarriages and stillbirth among pregnant women.
As a precautionary measure, the company is recalling 40,572 pounds of product. The company is working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in undertaking this voluntary recall.Continue Reading Sara Lee Food & Beverage Issues Precautionary Recall of Four Products Due to Possible Health Risks

New tests have confirmed that food products from an Adelaide company
were contaminated with the same strain of listeria that contributed
to the death of a man at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Another person died in hospital in Gawler, while two women are
recovering from the illness.
Yesterday, products from Conroy’s Smallgoods Bowden factory were
recalled.Continue Reading Smallgoods listeria strain matches sample

December 10, 2005
FSIS Recall Release
Recall Release CLASS I RECALL
FSIS-RC-052-2005 HEALTH RISK: HIGH
WASHINGTON – ConAgra Foods, a Marshall, Mo., firm, is voluntarily expanding its December 1 recall of approximately 9,550 pounds of various bologna, ham and turkey lunch meal products to a total of 2.8 million pounds due to possible contamination after cheese provided by its supplier tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.Continue Reading Missouri firm expands recall of meat lunch makers products for possible listeria contamination