 Listeriosis, Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken issued with recall notices. Johannesburg, processed food manufacturers Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken Limited, RCL, have been issued with safety recall notices following the Listeriosis outbreak in South Africa, Health Minister Aaron Mosorladi said on Sunday. The Enterprise Food Production Facility in Polakwane in Limpopo had been identified as the source of the current Listeriosis outbreak, he told journalists at a media briefing in Johannesburg. As of March 2, the total number of laboratory-confirmed Listeriosis cases had risen to 948 since January 2017. Of the 948, a total of 659 patients had been traced and 180 of them had died, a 27 percent fatality rate. In our constant search for the source of the outbreak and the treatment of people who are affected, a team from the NICD National Institute for Communicable Diseases has interviewed 109 ill people to obtain details about foods they had eaten in the month before falling ill. 93, 85 percent, reported eating ready to eat, processed meat products, of which Polona was the most common, followed by Vienna's slash sausages, and then other cold meats, Mosorladi said. On Friday, January 12, nine children under the age of five presented to Chris Honey Baragwanath Hospital with febrile gastroenteritis. The pediatrician suspected foodborne disease, including Listeriosis, as a possible cause. The environmental health practitioners, EHPs, were informed and on the same day visited the crash and obtained samples from two unrelated Polona brands, manufactured by Enterprise and RCL respectively, and submitted these to the laboratory for testing. Listerium monocidogenes was isolated from stool collected from one of the ill children, and from both of the Polona specimens collected from the crash. These isolates were sent to the NICD Center for Anteric Diseases and underwent whole genome sequencing and genomic analysis. The ST6 sequence type was confirmed on all three isolates on Saturday, 27th January, he said. Following the lead from the tests performed on the children from Soweto and the food they had ingested, the EHPs, together with the NICD and Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Department, DAF, Representatives, accompanied by three technical advisors from the World Health Organization, who, in Geneva, visited a food production site in Polakwane and conducted an extensive food product and environmental sampling. Listerium monocidogenes was isolated from over 30% of the environmental samples collected from this site, which happens to be the Enterprise factory in Polakwane. To conclude the investigation, whole genome sequencing analysis was performed from this Enterprise factory and the results became available midnight or last night, Saturday. The outbreak strain, ST6, was confirmed in at least 16 environmental samples collected from this Enterprise facility. The conclusion from this is that the source of the presence outbreak can be confirmed to be the Enterprise food production facility in Polakwane. Additionally, preliminary results show that several ready-to-eat processed meat products from the Enterprise facility located in Germaston contain L-monocidogenes, but the sequence type is not known as yet, Mos Orladi said. Investigation of the RCL Wohlwehoek production facility is also underway. Polona products have tested positive for L-monocidogenes, but the sequence types of the isolates are not ST6. However, such contamination of ready-to-eat processed meat products constitutes a health risk. Also, over 10% of environmental samples collected by EHPs at this facility have tested positive for L-monocidogenes. The sequence types of these isolates are not known as yet. With the information available, the following course of action had been decided upon. The National Consumer Commission, NCC, had in terms of Section 60-2 of the Consumer Protection Act on Sunday morning issued the manufacturers concerned with safety recall notices. Compliance notices would be issued to facilities in terms of the National Health Act. In terms of registration for exports by the DAF, the respective processing or manufacturing establishments, namely RCL Foods with an Export Registration Number Z832 and Enterprise Foods with an Export Registration Number Z833, had been temporarily suspended till further notice, and members of the public were advised to avoid all processed meat products sold as ready-to-eat. While it was known that Polona was definitely implicated, there was a risk of cross-contamination of other ready-to-eat processed meat products, either at production, distribution, or retail. This was because Listeria on the exterior casing, packaging, of Polona could be transferred to other products it came into contact with, including Bienas, Russians, Frankfurters, other sausages, and other cold meat products typically not cooked before eating. The recall of these products does not mean that members of the public must now relax and stop the five food safety rules which we have recited many times, i.e. washing your hands before handling food or when coming back from the bathroom, making sure that food is well-cooked, isolating raw food from cooked food, making sure that food is at an appropriate temperature, and washing non-cooked food with clean running water, as well as using only pasteurized or boiled milk products, Mos Orladai said. Retailer Pick and Pay has withdrawn all Listeriosis-linked food from its shelves, the company said on Sunday. Following the Minister of Health's announcement earlier this afternoon Sunday on the source of the Listeria outbreak, Pick and Pay has acted immediately to withdraw all products from the manufacturing sites identified by the Department of Health, Pick and Pay Group Executive for Strategy and Corporate Affairs David North said. North said Enterprise and Rainbow supplied a very broad range of retailers across South Africa. All Enterprise products, including the Bush, Renown, Lifestyle, and Milika brands had already been recalled by the company Concerned and Pick was urgently withdrawing them from its shops. In addition, all ready-to-eat products, such as Polonei and Russian sausages manufactured at the Rainbow facility in Seysalberg are also being withdrawn. This action is taking place in all Pick and Pay and Boxer stores. In addition, as a precaution, Pick and Pay branded chicken polonei, manufactured by Rainbow, is also being withdrawn, he said. All fridges and food preparation areas in Pick and Pay shops would now be reclaimed to prevent any cross-contamination. Recalled meat was being isolated and would be safely destroyed. The safety of customers is always our top concern. Any customer who is concerned that they may have bought a ready-to-eat meat product linked to the outbreak can return it to our stores for a full refund, North said.