Reminder on safe storage of freshly cooked sliced meats

23 May 2008

The Health Protection Agency is reminding consumers about advice on the safe storage of sliced-at-the-counter cooked meats.

Current advice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) states that the vast majority of perishable chilled foods, including sliced-at-the counter cooked meats, should be stored according to the retailer's instructions or, in the absence of any instructions, eaten within 48 hours.

A study carried out in the North West, initiated by the Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside Food Liaison Group and the Health Protection Agency's Food and Environmental Microbiology Services North West, reemphasises the importance of using these meats as soon as possible after purchase.

The study looked for levels of the food poisoning bacterium listeria (Listeria monocytogenes) in freshly sliced cooked meats purchased from a number of retailers. Laboratory tests found that 7.3% of samples were contaminated on their day of purchase.

In a few cases (0.4%) the meat sample had levels of this organism which failed to comply with food safety legislation. This could have been potentially hazardous, particularly to people vulnerable to listeria such as the elderly, those with weakened immune systems and pregnant women. Listeria is particularly dangerous in pregnancy as it can cause a mild 'flu-like' illness which is not serious to the mother but can cause miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth or severe illness in a newborn child.

Listeria is unusual because it not only grows at normal room temperature and up to about 40° C, but can grow at low temperatures, including refrigeration temperatures of below 5° C.

Further laboratory tests showed that when the meats were tested again following storage in a refrigerator for 48 hours at 6° C, L.monocytogenes had multiplied in some cases, resulting in a larger percentage of samples (2.7 %) being potentially hazardous to vulnerable people if consumed.

Professor Peter Borriello, Director of the Health Protection Agency's Centre for Infections, said:

"Proper cooking of foods, proper storage of ready to eat foods and good kitchen hygiene will all help to prevent cases of food poisoning."

Note to editors

Survey

The testing for this survey was undertaken in laboratories in Preston, Chester and Carlisle on 1127 cooked meat samples sold loose and purchased in a variety of food retail outlets by Environmental Health Officers from 42 North West local authorities.

When examined on the day of purchase L. monocytogenes was detected in 82 of the 1127 samples (7.3%).
 
Only 5 of the 1127 samples (0.4%) were unacceptable due to levels of L.monocytogenes on the day of purchase.

After 48 hours refrigeration at 6° C the L.monocytogenes levels in 31 of the 82 contaminated samples (38%) had increased to more than 100 L. monocytogenes per gram of meat, numbers of L. monocytogenes that are considered to pose a potential risk to health in vulnerable people. 

The meat samples were purchased from the following retail outlets:

• Butchers: - 390 samples of which 24 (6%) were contaminated with low levels of L. monocytogenes on day of purchase.
• Delicatessens: - 207 samples of which 16 (7%) were contaminated with low levels of  L.monocytogenes on day of purchase.
• Local grocers: - 71 samples of which one (1.4%) was found to contain low levels of L. monocytogenes on day of purchase.
• Market stalls: - 184 samples of which 26 (14%) had low level contamination on day of purchase.
• Supermarkets: - 275 samples of which 15 (5%) were contaminated on day of purchase. 

The samples comprised beef, brawn, corned beef, ham, heart, lamb, pork, poultry and tongue.

In total 863 (77%) of the meat samples purchased were not labelled with "use by" advice:

• Market stalls: - 173 unlabelled (94%)
• Butchers: - 362 samples unlabelled (93%)
• Delicatessens: - 191 unlabelled (92%)
• Local grocers: - 65 unlabelled (92%)
• Supermarkets: - 72 unlabelled (26%)

Food businesses which sold the samples of meat which had unacceptable levels of Listeria monocytogenes on the day of purchase or after storage for 48 hours in a fridge were re-visited by Environmental Health Officers from the relevant Local Authorities in the region to investigate the source of the problem.

The study was initiated by the Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside Food Liaison Group and the Health Protection Agency's Food and Environmental Microbiology Services North West.  

Listeria

Listeria is a rare, but potentially life-threatening disease. Although some adults experience only mild infections of the eye and skin, and gastroenteritis, it can lead to severe blood poisoning (septicaemia) or meningitis.

Listeria monocytogenes is unusual because it can grow and multiply from temperatures ranging from below 5° C (a well-controlled refrigerator's temperature) to 45 ° C.

The FSA currently advises that the vast majority of perishable chilled foods including sliced-at-the counter cooked meats should be stored according to the retailer's instructions or, in the absence of any instructions, that they should be eaten within 48 hours. The main type of food to which this advice does not apply is cooked rice, which should be stored in the fridge for no more than 24 hours.

More information about listeria is available on the Health Protection Agency website: www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/listeria/menu.htm

Anyone with concerns about their health should contact NHS Direct on 0845-4647 or visit the website www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk or consult their family doctor.

For media enquiries, contact the Health Protection Agency's Centre for Infections press office on 020 8327 6647/ 7080 or 6690.

Last reviewed: 24 December 2008