Latest news with #AlanReilly
Extra.ie
6 days ago
- Health
- Extra.ie
FSAI expands listeria recall to over 200 foods following outbreak
The list of foods to avoid because of the danger of listeria lurking in them, has grown to over 200 known products this afternoon. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has published the new extended list of suspect foods, on their website, after listeriosis was found to be present in a number of products which originated at the Ballymaguire Foods Plant in Dublin. The ready meals are sold across a number of supermarkets including Tesco, Centra and Supervalu and have been withdrawn from shelves due to the contamination. Pic: Getty Images Listeria can enter the food chain from contaminated water, through the soil, or by animal contact during agricultural practices on farms and can also contaminate other foods and spread to and survive on surfaces. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland confirmed one person has died as a result of listeria poisoning and has confirmed another nine cases of the illness this week. Adjunct Professor at the UCD Institute of Food and Healthy, Alan Reilly spoke to presenter Philip Boucher Hayes on RTE Radio 1 this morning, and said Listeria causes two types of illnesses, a 'non-invasive' kind, 'you could nearly call it routine food poisoning,' he said, and the other is an 'invasive' kind, and this invasive type is 'the real killer'. Pic: Getty Images The former CEO of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland went on to say that listeria can survive at 'freezing temperatures,' following a precautionary recall notice over 'ready-to-heat' meals after an outbreak of the infection. Professor Reilly explained that victims of listeria poisoning can develop septicemia, as the virus invades a lot of organs, and meningitis is also a possibility, but the virus is also especially dangerous for expectant mothers, as it can cause 'spontaneous abortion' Pic: Getty Images The FSAI have said that a National Outbreak Control Team is investigating what they described as an extensive outbreak of listeria linked to a precautionary food recall of ready-to-heat meals. Products from Tesco Finest, The Happy Pear, SuperValu Signature Taste, and Centra Freshly Prepared are among a range of more than 200 affected ready meals included in the recall. Consumers are being advised to check their freezers for any of these products and dispose of them.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
Listeria can survive at 'freezing temperatures'
The former CEO of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has said that listeria can survive at "freezing temperatures," following a precautionary recall notice over ready-to-heat meals after an outbreak of the infection. Adjunct Professor at UCD Institute of Food and Health Alan Reilly, said listeria monocytogenes is "unique in that it can survive at low temperatures... even freezing temperatures". Therefore, he said for the list of foods subject to the recall, "that rely on chilled storage for fairly long periods, listeria monocytogenes would be the number one pathogenic bug that you have to look out for". An adult died with a confirmed case of listeria infection, the FSAI confirmed yesterday. The FSAI said that it had Listeria can enter the food chain from contaminated water, through soil, through animal contact during agricultural practices and can contaminate foods and spread to surfaces. Following this it can spread through contaminated equipment or the hands of food handlers into the processed environment. Professor Reilly said listeriosis is a "bacterium," but some "listeria monocytogenes, they are pathogenic, and they are "probably one of the most serious forms of food-borne illness you can get". Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Philip Boucher Hayes, he said it causes two types of illnesses, a "non-invasive" kind, "you could nearly call it routine food poisoning," and the other is an "invasive" kind, and this invasive type is "the real killer". "You get things like septicemia, blood poisoning, it invades a lot of organs and so meningitis, it can cause spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. "And that form is the real killer," he said. However, he added that there is "not a lot" of listeriosis in the food chain. In 2024, there were less than one case per 100,000 people in the EU, compared with 46 cases per 100,000 people of campylobacter and 18 cases per 100,000 of salmonellosis, he said. A lot of work is done to keep listeriosis out of the food chain, Prof Reilly said. It would "probably " enter a food processing plant on "raw materials" such as vegetable matter, uncooked meats and "establishes itself" in the food processing environment, such as on a "biofilm" on a conveyor belt, where listeria will survive, he said. He said one outbreak in Canada some 17 years ago, which generated 55 cases, from which there were 22 fatalities, was tracked down to a meat slicer, which then contaminated deli meats and led to "one of the most serious outbreaks". "After that outbreak, in 2008, the world woke up to listeria monocytogenes", he said. Symptoms of listeria The FSAI said a National Outbreak Control Team is investigating an extensive outbreak of listeria linked to a precautionary food recall of ready-to-heat meals. Products from Tesco Finest, The Happy Pear, SuperValu Signature Taste, and Centra Freshly Prepared are among a range of more than 200 affected ready meals included in the recall. Consumers are being advised to check their freezers for the implicated products and dispose of them. Speaking about listeria, Deputy Medical Director of the Irish College of GPs Dr Suzanne Kelly said those who should be concerned about the disease are pregnant women, small babies, older people and the immunocompromised. She said that for the vast majority of healthy adults, this isn't going to cause a major problem as there is a lot of exposure to listeria, but it clears easily in people day to day. She said symptoms of listeria would be having a temperature, feeling achy, experiencing nausea or diarrhea. She added that the first thing to do if you have symptoms is to schedule an appointment with your GP for an assessment but tests for listeria have to be done in a hospital setting. She said that she has never seen it as a GP in 20 years but it's most worried about for pregnant women who are at high risk of having a miscarriage, or passing the disease onto their baby. "We rarely ever see it," she said, adding that the disease must be detected through a blood test, or through spinal fluid.
RTÉ News
08-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Sligo see off Carlow to seal Tailteann Cup last-eight spot
Sligo ensured they would be in this year's Tailteann Cup quarter-final draw as they proved too strong for Carlow in Tubbercurry. The hosts started the game brightly when Alan Reilly opened the scoring before the sides would be level twice with Ross Dunphy and Mikey Bambrick on target. Sligo soon took control of proceedings as they added seven points without reply with David Quinn, Shane Deignan and Alan McLoughlin among the scores as Sligo lead 0-09 to 0-02. Carlow to their credit refused to wave the white flag and were within three points after 24 minutes with Sean Murphy, John Murphy and Paddy McDonnell all splitting the posts for the visitors. The opening goal of the game came just short of the half hour mark when McLoughlin raised a green flag after being played through by Cian Lally. Carlow rallied before the break with four unanswered points – including a brace from Conor Doyle - to leave the interval score 1-15 - 0-13 in favour of the hosts. Early second-half points from Murphy and Alan Reilly stretched their advantage, but the Barrowsiders struck for two goals in six minutes with Paddy McDonnell doing the damage for Carlow to reduce the deficit to the bare minimum. A timely two-pointer from Patrick O'Connor eased the concerns somewhat of the majority of the 2,104 in attendance. A Conor Crowley free made it a two-point game, but that was as close as Carlow would get as Sligo hit five unanswered points, Canice Brennan among the scorers and substitute Pat Spillane claiming a brace. Sligo will now await to see who they will face in the knockout stages with Wicklow, Limerick and Fermanagh the possible opponents.
