CENTRAL, Texas — Recently, a lot of the food found on our shelves and in our fridges at home are being recalled for listeria.
For those who don't know what listeria is or what the symptoms look like, here's what you need to know about it.
All of the information will be according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), seeing as they are the ones who issue out the recalls.
What is listeria?
Listeria is a disease-causing bacterium that can be found in moist environments such as soil, water, decaying vegetation and animals. Listeria is transmitted when food is harvested, processed, prepared, packed, transported or stored in environments that have been contaminated with listeria, according to the FDA. Listeria can still grow when it's in the refrigerator and freezer.
Anyone can get listeria, but the disease can be fatal to women who are pregnant, newborns, people over 65 and people with weakened immune systems.
Mild symptoms of listeria may include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle aches
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
Severe symptoms of listeria might also include:
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Convulsions
Symptoms can show up as little as a few hours or as long as a few weeks to months. If you think you've eaten food that's been recalled for listeria you should contact your doctor.
Prevention
- Wash your hands before and after handling food
- Sanitize surfaces and utensils while cooking
- Scrub raw vegetables, using a scrub brush or vegetable brush and lost of water
- Cook food thoroughly, use a food thermometer when cooking meat, poultry and eggs should be cooked at a safe temperature
- Clean out refrigerator
Now that we know what symptoms to look out for and how we can try to prevent the disease, here are a list of items found in your home that you might want to throw out.
Recalled items
- Ready-to-eat salads
- Deli meat
- Frozen waffles and pancakes
- Precooked meat, such as chicken, pork, and turkey
- Tv dinners that contain meat
For a list of brands and other items included on the list that are recalled click here (last updated Oct. 22).