Listeria Outbreak Threatens Sales Of Smoked Salmon In UK

Amid a surge of cases of listeriosis that has downed 12 Britons, several of the country's food safety bodies have jointly issued an alert over the risks involved in eating smoked fish – especially during pregnancy, Teresa Gottein Martinez reported for Express Science.

Photo Insert: Listeria is widespread in the environment and can contaminate a range of food at low or standard refrigeration temperature.

To avoid infection with the listeria bacterium, they said that fish must be cooked before consumption. "We are working closely with UK partners across government to ensure that this advice is as clear as possible," they added.

Listeria is widespread in the environment and can contaminate a range of food at low or standard refrigeration temperatures, the UKHSA, Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland said.

While it is of most concern in chilled, ready to eat foods that do not require further cooking, such as smoked fish, "thorough cooking" can destroy the bacteria, they added.

Whole-genome sequencing analysis has identified an outbreak of 12 linked cases of listeriosis in England and Scotland since 2020, six of which were registered this year.

In case of infection, for most people symptoms will be non-existent or mild, such as vomiting and diarrhea. However, pregnant people are at increased risk of developing listeriosis –which can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or severe illness in their newborn babies.

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