The season of mosquito and salmonella outbreaks
continues with other food-born outbreaks. The “roller sandwiches” made by World
Class Canapes of Wilmington and sold by 18 Roche Bros. and Sudbury Farms stores
were recalled because they could contain the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes,
a bacterium that can cause flu-like symptoms or turn fatal in some cases, the
state Department Public Health said.
The Wilmington
company DBC Inc., also known as World Class Canapes Inc., manufactured the
roller sandwiches which were sold at 15 Roche Bros. stores and three Sudbury
Farms locations. The products are called “Progressive Gourmet Buffalo Chicken
Roller Sandwich,” “Progressive Gourmet Chicken Caesar Roller Sandwich,” or “Progressive
Gourmet Honey Turkey
with Baby Spinach Roller Sandwich.”
Consumers may have purchased the products
between July 31 and August 2, according to the officials.
Paul McGillivray, vice president of sales
for Roche Bros., advised consumers to make sure they don’t have the products.
State health officials are also warning consumers to throw away these products
sold in Eastern Massachusetts because they
could contain the bacterium. The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and
Inspection Service discovered the contamination through microbiological
sampling.
The Gram-positive bacteria can cause the
infection listeriosis. Some studies suggest that 1-10% of humans may be
intestinal carriers of L. monocytogenes. The bacteria can be killed by
pasteurization, cooking and thorough washing. Most L. monocytogenes are
pathogenic to some degree and they resist the deleterious effects of freezing,
drying.
The manifestations of listeriosis include
septicemia, meningitis (or meningoencephalitis), encephalitis, and intrauterine
or cervical infections in pregnant women, which may result in spontaneous abortion,
according to the FDA. Listeriosis symptoms also include fever, muscle aches,
fatigue and gastrointestinal issues. Listeriosis does not cause an illness in
most healthy people, according to the health department. Pregnant women are
about 20 times more likely to get the illness than other healthy adults. Among
those more exposed to the infection are elderly, pregnant women, babies and
people with weak immune system.
The state health department is trying to
determine the source of the contamination.
There have been no reported cases of people
getting sick, health department officials said.
About 500 Americans die of the disease annually.
Last year, two elderly Massachusetts
men died as the result of a severe infection with Listeria, according to the
Food and Drug Administration.
The recall comes days after health
officials found beef tainted with E. Coli bacterium at a Boy Scout Camp in Rockbridge County. Scout officials pulled ground
beef, which is a common source for E. coli, from the camp menu on July 28 and
imposed sanitary precautions.
The bacteria has been associated with such
foods as raw milk, cheese (particularly soft-ripened varieties), ice cream, raw
vegetables, all types of raw meats, raw and cooked poultry and raw and smoked
fish. The bacteria have the ability to grow at temperatures as low as 3°C,
which permits multiplication in refrigerated foods.
L. monocytogenes outbreaks include the California episode in
1985, when Mexican-style cheese was blamed for the outbreak which led to
numerous stillbirths.