An adult has died with a confirmed case of listeria infection, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has confirmed.
It said nine confirmed cases of listeria had been identified as of yesterday.
It comes as the FSAI said a National Outbreak Control Team is investigating an extensive outbreak of listeria linked to a precautionary food recall of ready-to-heat meals.
The HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre is investigating the death and to ensure medical confidentiality no further information on the person who died can be disclosed.
This follows a food safety recall of ready meals by the FSAI due to fears of the harmful bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
Products from Tesco Finest, The Happy Pear, SuperValu Signature Taste, and Centra Freshly Prepared are among a range of ready meals included in the recall.
The various branded prepared meals and side dishes are produced by Ballymaguire Foods and are sold in most major supermarkets – including Aldi, Centra, SuperValu, and Tesco – and are branded under the names of its customers.
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The full list of meals and side dishes that may be affected is available here.
The affected products include pre-made meals such as cottage pie, chicken curry, lasagne, as well as various vegetarian dishes.
While the side dishes covered by the recall include mashed potato, potato gratin, green cabbage, and mashed turnip.
Aldi’s Specially Selected range is also among the affected products.
Consumers are advised not to eat any of the more than 200 affected products.
Consumers are also advised to check their freezers for the implicated products and dispose of them.
In a statement to RTÉ News, Ballymaguire Foods said it initiated a “full precautionary recall of all products produced at one of our facilities following the identification of listeria bacteria as part of a quality control check”.
The company apologised to customers and said that “incidents of this nature are extremely rare for us” and that it is “treating it with the utmost seriousness and are working closely with all parties to manage the situation swiftly and responsibly”.
It said: “Immediately upon identifying the issue, we informed our retail and food-service customers and engaged with all relevant authorities, including the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the Health Service Executive, and our regional Environmental Health Officer.
“Through our retail partners, all products are being withdrawn from the shelves, and a full consumer communication process is under way.”
As a precautionary measure Ballymaguire Foods said that on Saturday it made the decision to temporarily suspend all production at the affected facility, and that a comprehensive assessment and immediate corrective actions were carried out, including a full pharmaceutical-grade clean down of the facility.
It said production will resume at the facility once it is confirmed safe to do so.
Symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infection can include mild flu-like symptoms, or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
In rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications.
Some people are more vulnerable to Listeria monocytogenes infections, including pregnant women, babies, and people with weakened immune systems, including the elderly.
The incubation period (time between initial infection and first symptoms appearing) is on average three weeks but can range between three to 70 days.
