Her post on the social media site led with so many WARNINGS I didn’t know whether to open or ignore it for fear if I clicked on this popular neighborhood platform my computer would immediately start smoking – or worse, become infected by an online virus.
Turns out the topic of concern was a nasty bacteria.
In fact, the woman was so intent on letting her virtual neighbors know about a potential outbreak of listeria that she seemed to attack the issue with the veracity of a hungry dog tearing into a piece of sirloin.
In a nutshell: Nearly 11 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and chicken, produced by the Oklahoma-based BrucePac, have been recalled because of possible listeria contamination. And that affects more than 200 products shipped to grocery stores, restaurants, schools and other institutions nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including Costco, Meijer, Walmart, Target, Aldi, Amazon, Trader Joe’s, 7-Eleven and many more.
Most responders to this post – and there were many – were appreciative. But a few, not so much. One man went so far as to suggest she needs to be banned from the site for creating so much “hysteria” in the virtual ‘hood.
Others played down the neighborly warning by claiming listeria isn’t all that dangerous, and that the chances of coming in contact with the bacteria, even with such a massive recall, were remote.
One reacted with a snarky “old news” comment, noting this issue is no longer a concern since everyone in the world already knew about this latest problem with our food chain.
Well, count me among those not paying attention.
My excuse? We hear about so many food recalls – if it’s not deli meat then its spinach or cottage cheese or granola bars – that I’ve become desensitized to the potential risks. Data from the Food and Drug Administration that claims nearly 1,200 food products have been recalled so far this year backs that up. But experts also point out we are hearing about more such problems, in part, because of the government’s push to improve food safety practices.
Although I have yet to throw out a single food item, even when I read there is a potential problem with a certain brand I might have inside the fridge, this post got my attention, as it did others, some of whom added news links that included the growing list of impacted foods and distributors.
All of which is why I decided to call the Kane County Health Department to find out just how serious we should be taking this WARNING!
Apryll Elliott, assistant director for communicable disease, was well aware of what I’m dubbing “listeria hysteria,” and referred to a Facebook post she’d recently seen that described this latest concern as “a pandemic.”
That’s hardly the case, Elliott assured me, noting Kane County “rarely gets a listeria case.”
But she quickly added this caveat: That could be because most symptoms – fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea – “are not serious enough to require hospitalization” and in fact, people could write them off as the flu.
“In most cases, symptoms are mild enough they can be treated at home,” Elliott said, but also noted high-risk groups – pregnant women, newborns, those with weakened immune systems and those over 65 years old – who can get critically ill or die from the bacteria.
Then Elliott used this current recall as a chance to remind people that we all need to be more careful about how we store and prepare the food we eat, especially because you can’t see, smell or taste harmful bacteria.
Elliott’s advice boils down to washing hands and surfaces, including cutting boards and utensils after preparing each food item; rinsing fresh fruits and vegetables, including those with skins and rinds; separating raw meats from other foods; and cooking foods to the right temperature and promptly refrigerating meats, poultry, seafood and eggs within two hours of cooking or purchasing.
And never thawing food at room temperature, a rule I’ve violated more often than I will admit.
In all honesty, I can say the same for at least 50% of those aforementioned rules. Which does not surprise Elliott, who says most people pay more attention to restaurant safety than they do their own kitchen protocols.
“We do what we do,” she said, then noted that getting even a little careless can “put our families and ourselves at risk.”
Bottom line, Elliott tells me, while there’s no cause for listeria hysteria, there’s certainly reason to pay attention to these recalls.
“We all need to be more aware,” she said, “of what’s going on around us.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
