Why You're Noticing More Ice Cream Recalls These Days

So far this year, 11 ice cream manufacturers have recalled products over concern that the dangerous Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, commonly known as listeria, may have contaminated the food. Listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections called listeriosis in the young, elderly or those with a weakened immune system. Listeriosis can also cause pregnant women to have miscarriages or stillbirths, which seems like a particularly cruel risk for pregnant women craving a scoop or two. But is there actually a growing listeria problem? Or are we merely getting better at detecting the bacterium in our food? Experts say that more listeria-related recalls doesn’t mean incidents of contamination are on the rise. Instead, what’s more likely is that manufacturers are becoming more aware of new or surprising foods that can harbor listeria (it isn’t just hot dogs and cold cuts anymore!), and that they’re testing their facilities more often. In addition to ice cream, fruits and vegetables have also been recalled for listeria contamination in recent years. “We’re looking into different food systems and our awareness of where [listeria] is is changing, which is actually good news in a way,” said Haley Oliver, an associate professor of food science at Purdue University. “The more we understand which foods are potential risk factors or potential reservoirs, the more likely we are to actually reduce listeriosis.” If you&rsquo...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news