
Second listeria outbreak triggers recall of seven more supermarket products
The affected products include: McCormack Family Farms' 'Energise Super Mix', 'Irish Spinach Leaves', 'Mixed leaves' and 'Baby Leaves'. Also impacted are Tesco's 'Mild Spinach' and Egan's 'Irish Baby Spinach'. Also affected are Supervalu's unwashed spinach bags.
Products and the list of affected dates are listed below.
Affected products in the latest listeria recall. Photo: FSAI.
People have been advised not to eat the implicated products.
Retailers have been asked to remove products from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.
Wholesalers have been told to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated products and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retailer customers.
This comes following confirmation by the HSE of the death of an adult due to listeriosis earlier this week, after the recall of 141 different ready-made meals and side dishes sold in major retail supermarkets.
The HSE also confirmed nine cases of listeriosis as of Tuesday, July 22.
Retailers have been asked to remove all implicated products from sale and display recall notices at the point of sale.
New products recalled by the FSAI
Ballymaguire Foods who produce the products that have been recalled have said that they temporarily suspended all production at the affected facility on Saturday, July 19 and apologised to customers.
The company said: 'Immediately upon identifying the issue, we informed our retail and foodservice customers and engaged with all relevant authorities, including the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), the Health Service Executive (HSE), and our regional Environmental Health Officer.
It added following the closure of the facility, its 'internal team, supported by independent external experts, conducted a comprehensive assessment and implemented immediate corrective actions'.
This included a full pharmaceutical-grade clean down of the facility.
"We sincerely apologise to our customers and consumers for the concern this may cause.'
New products recalled by the FSAI
The company has since appointed Dr Patrick Wall – former Chief Executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, former Chairperson of the European Food Safety Authority, and former Professor of Public Health at University College Dublin to lead their response team.
Both the FSAI and HSE's National Outbreak Control team are investigating the outbreak.
Symptoms of listeria can include mild flu-like symptoms, or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
New products recalled by the FSAI
The incubation period – the time from first becoming infected to displaying symptoms – is an average of three weeks. However, it can be anywhere between three and 70 days.
Cases of listeriosis are rare and rarely diagnosed in healthy adults and children.
The FSAI has warned that some people are more at risk of infection, including the elderly, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and babies.
New products recalled by the FSAI
Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 27th
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Mental health service in Limerick looking for volunteers
According to the HSE, one in four Irish people will experience a mental health problem during their lifetime with depression being considered a very common condition affecting 450,000 people or one in ten people at any one time in Ireland alone. Dr Susan Brannick, Clinical Director at Aware told the Irish Independent: 'We're looking for volunteers across our support services, we have three main volunteer-led services that are seeking to recruit people for, the first is our support group, they run across the country, we offer them both virtually and in person and they are facilitated by two volunteers where people can come together for peer support and connection around difficulties like depression and anxiety. "We're also looking to recruit volunteers to our support line so that's online and runs from 10 in the morning til 10 at night offering a space where people can share their difficulties with their mental health and also maybe their concerns about a loved one.' She continued: "Our third service is our life skills online which is our self-help programme which is based on cognitive behavioural therapy principles and the volunteer supports people who do that on a weekly basis for the eight weeks. "There's a variety of different platforms that someone might be able to volunteer with us if they choose to so whether that's in person or on the phone or doing something more online, there will definitely be something to suit you if you're interested.' Aware are looking for people who are over the age of 21 and have about three hours to spare each week. Volunteers are not required to have a background in mental health training or experience as Aware offers over 20 hours of initial training to support people into the role that they choose. Susan said: "Then we offer ongoing support and training, all of our support services have a support manager that supports volunteers as they go through so there's a lot of training that we offer to enable people to do those roles. She continued: "The main thing in being a volunteer is that you have an interest in people, an interest in mental health and a willingness to listen and to allow people that space to talk about their own difficulties.' "We know from the research that being a volunteer and volunteering in and of itself can help your own mental health so there's also benefits to your own mental health as well as the training and support that are available if you do volunteer so I guess if people are interested, maybe having a look at our website would definitely be something that would meet your interests if this is an area of volunteering that appeals to you.' When asked about how the current cost of living, inflation and the housing crisis has affected uptake of various services, Lisa explained that there is a high need for services. She explained: "There's generally a high level of need anyway across the services in Ireland, some volunteers we've had with us for many years, others for one or two years so we ask that people maybe can commit at least 18 months or so. "I think there's an ongoing need for mental health support I suppose as mental health literacy increases, we're becoming better and more able to recognise conditions like depression, anxiety, so I guess it's the more people are more aware of these challenges, the more people, on a positive note are actively seeking help for them so certainly we've come a long way. "Since Aware began 40 years ago, we've certainly come a long way in our ability and willingness maybe to talk about mental health, that's a good thing. "Unfortunately, there's still a high need, people are facing very distinct challenges now maybe more so than 10, 15, 20 years ago so I guess there's an ongoing need for that support.' Susan concluded: "In the health budget, typically about 6 per cent of the health budget is allocated to mental health which is an under-investment really, the World Health Organisation, even Sláintecare would suggest that it should be at least 10-12 per cent of the overall health budget so I guess as long as there's an ongoing under-investment in statutory services there's going to be a continuing need across all the NGOs for ongoing mental health support.' Sláintecare is the HSE and Department of Health's overall improvement plan which outlines their strategies to reform Ireland's health and social care system and act as a pathway to universal healthcare.


RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
More than 2,700 wait over recommended HSE timeframe for urgent colonoscopy
More than 2,700 people across Ireland waited longer than the recommended timeframe for an urgent colonoscopy between January and May this year, figures obtained by RTÉ News show. The Irish Cancer Society has said the delays are putting patients lives at risk. Urgent colonoscopes are required for patients who have symptoms such as weight loss or blood in their stool. HSE guidelines say these people should be seen within 28 days. However, figures show that 2,764 people waited between 29 and 60 days for an urgent colonoscopy between January and May this year. A total of 3,623 people waited over the recommended timeframe of 28 days in 2024. Consultant Gastroenterologist at St James's Hospital in Dublin Finbar MacCarthy said patients in need of an urgent procedure must be seen within the recommended timeframe. He said the number of patients who will ultimately be diagnosed with either a cancer or inflammatory bowel disease is small, but added, that "out of that group of people, there are undoubtedly patients who already have cancers or who already have another bowel disease that requires prompt diagnosis and prompt access to treatment." Dr MacCarthy said hospital capacity needs to increase in line with demand for colonoscopies. "Without an increase in capacity to meet the demand there will inevitably be increasing waiting lists for colonoscopies. "In addition, there are hospitals across the country where the endoscopy unit is significantly curtailed over the winter months in order to facilitate access through the emergency department. This is not a strategy that is tenable in the long term." The Irish Cancer Society described the figures as "extremely worrying". CEO Averil Power said: "In 2017, no one in Ireland waited more than the 28 day target for an urgent colonoscopy, yet this year if the current trend continues, over 6,500 people will. "That's a shocking deterioration in service and it's putting lives at risk. "The Irish Cancer Society is calling on Government to stop these delays now, by providing urgent investment in colonoscopy services nationwide." In a statement, the HSE said a number of initiatives have been developed to reduce waiting lists, including the expansion of capsule endoscopy services. 'So painful, I couldn't stand it' Paul Vickers from Rathcoole in Dublin was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2017. Despite signs of serious illness including constant pain, Paul waited over three months for an urgent colonoscopy. He said: "I was having symptoms and like a lot of men my age I was ignoring them, there was blood on the toilet tissue from around October 2016. "My symptoms got that bad I actually collapsed in early February 2017 in the house. I went over to Tallaght A&E and the doctor there that saw me gave me pain killers and Buscopan and told me to go to my own GP for a referral for a colonoscopy." Three months later, in May 2017, Paul finally got an appointment for an urgent colonoscopy but he says there were worrying signs in the weeks leading up to the procedure. "If I wasn't on pain killers, sitting down going to the toilet would have been so painful I couldn't actually stand it. "I would get a huge amount of wind cramps. I was working nights and that in itself was tiring, but dealing with all the stress as well was wearing me out. I actually lost quite a bit of weight during that time." Paul believes if he had been given an appointment for an urgent colonoscopy earlier, his recovery would have been much faster but he is also eager to encourage people with symptoms to go the GP as soon as possible. "In saying that, had I gone in when I got my first symptoms I may not have been diagnosed with cancer, at least not Stage 4 anyway." "It took me three years to recover from everything" Paul says by the time he got the urgent procedure, his symptoms were so bad he was treated as an emergency case. "My colon and large bowel were in such a state that they didn't let me home. They kept me in that day and two days later I got an ostomy bag in to shut my entire large bowel, digestive system down. "It was actually that bad I became an emergency then. I spent that summer on chemo and radiation therapy." Paul is now healthy and is looking forward to the future. "It took me three years to recover from everything, the radiation was quite severe, I was on a lot of radiation five days a week for six weeks and that has left a lot of damage to my large intestine but I have to manage that."


RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
More than 2,700 wait over recommended HSE timeframe for colonoscopy
Figures obtained by RTÉ News show that over 2,700 people across Ireland waited over the recommended timeframe for an urgent colonoscopy between January and May this year. The Irish Cancer Society has said the delays are putting patients lives at risk. Urgent colonoscopes are required for patients who have symptoms such as weight loss or blood in their stool. HSE guidelines say these people should be seen within 28 days. However, figures obtained by RTÉ News show that 2,764 people waited between 29 and 60 days for an urgent colonoscopy between January and May this year. A total of 3,623 people waited over the recommended timeframe of 28 days in 2024. Consultant Gastroenterologist at St James's Hospital in Dublin Finbar MacCarthy said patients in need of an urgent procedure must be seen within the recommended timeframe. "This is a concern, as I said the number of patients who will ultimately be diagnosed with either a cancer or inflammatory bowel disease is small. "But out of that group of people, there are undoubtedly patients who already have cancers or who already have another bowel disease that requires prompt diagnosis and prompt access to treatment." Mr MacCarthy said hospital capacity needs to increase in line with demand for colonoscopies. "Without an increase in capacity to meet the demand there will inevitably be increasing waiting lists for colonoscopies. "In addition, there are hospitals across the country where the endoscopy unit is significantly curtailed over the winter months in order to facilitate access through the emergency department. This is not a strategy that is tenable in the long term." The Irish Cancer Society has described the figures as "extremely worrying". Irish Cancer Society CEO Averil Power said: "In 2017, no one in Ireland waited more than the 28 day target for an urgent colonoscopy, yet this year if the current trend continues, over 6,500 people will. "That's a shocking deterioration in service and it's putting lives at risk. "The Irish Cancer Society is calling on Government to stop these delays now, by providing urgent investment in colonoscopy services nationwide." In a statement the HSE said a number of initiatives have been developed to reduce waiting lists, including the expansion of capsule endoscopy services. Paul Vickers from Rathcoole in Dublin was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2017. Despite signs of serious illness including constant pain, Paul waited over three months for an urgent colonoscopy. He said: "I was having symptoms and like a lot of men my age I was ignoring them, there was blood on the toilet tissue from around October 2016. "My symptoms got that bad I actually collapsed in early February 2017 in the house. I went over to Tallaght A&E and the doctor there that saw me gave me pain killers and Buscopan and told me to go to my own GP for a referral for a colonoscopy." Three months later, in May 2017, Paul finally got an appointment for an urgent colonoscopy but he says there were worrying signs in the weeks leading up to the procedure. "If I wasn't on pain killers, sitting down going to the toilet would have been so painful I couldn't actually stand it. "I would get a huge amount of wind cramps. I was working nights and that in itself was tiring, but dealing with all the stress as well was wearing me out. I actually lost quite a bit of weight during that time." Paul believes if he had been given an appointment for an urgent colonoscopy earlier, his recovery would have been much faster but he is also eager to encourage people with symptoms to go the GP as soon as possible. "In saying that, had I gone in when I got my first symptoms I may not have been diagnosed with cancer, at least not Stage 4 anyway." "It took me three years to recover from everything" Paul said by the time he got the urgent procedure, his symptoms were so bad he was treated as an emergency case. "My colon and large bowel were in such a state that they didn't let me home. They kept me in that day and two days later I got an ostomy bag in to shut my entire large bowel, digestive system down. "It was actually that bad I became an emergency then. I spent that summer on chemo and radiation therapy." Paul is now healthy and is looking forward to the future. "It took me three years to recover from everything, the radiation was quite severe, I was on a lot of radiation five days a week for six weeks and that has left a lot of damage to my large intestine but I have to manage that."