CONTAMINATION DEATHS
Listeriosis shows need for care in entire farming chain
The food chain is integrated in ways that make contagion a real possibility, writes Emma Corder
One doesn’t have to look far to find serious cases of disease or contamination somewhere along the agri value chain. Five people have died in the US in 2018 due to E. coli-infected romaine lettuce, and New Zealand is culling nearly 130,000 cows to stave off a Mycoplasma bovis epidemic. SA is still suffering the ill-effects of the listeriosis outbreak that has claimed more than 200 lives since the beginning of 2017. This will continue to haunt the industry, especially because it can easily be repeated if there’s a similar slip in food safety and hygiene. The food chain is integrated in ways that make contagion a real possibility. And that threat is not only of a bacterial nature, but also economic if allied sectors are considered. The agriculture sector faces threats on multiple fronts, demanding constant vigilance to avoid a major crisis. The rapid and deadly spread of SA’s listeria infection is a harsh reminder of the responsibility that befalls everyone involved in the food value ...
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