The massive ready-to-eat meat and poultry recall from producer BrucePac for possible listeria contamination hasn’t affected Lexington yet. That’s according to Luke Mathis, supervisor for environmental health for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. He said what sets the bacteria causing the potentially serious illness apart is its ability to survive in cold temperatures.
“Typically we say food under storage should be 41 or below. Listeria can actually survive or and even reproduce in those temperatures.”
Mathis said people should check the labels on their sliced meat and poultry products. He noted while the bacteria causing listeria can reproduce in the fridge, it’s quite susceptible to heat.
“I remember when my wife was pregnant, her physician recommended that she heat up all of her lunch meats before she made sandwiches, just as a precaution.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, listeria can be very serious for pregnant women, people older than 65 and people with weakened immune systems.
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