South Africans were told on Sunday not to consume ready-to-eat processed meat as the government identified the source of a listeria outbreak that has killed 180 people as a cold meat product made by the country’s biggest consumer foods group.

The meat, known as“polony”, made by Tiger Brands unit Enterprise Food and by RCL Foods, would be recalled from stores, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said.

“We advise members of the public to avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat,” Motsoaledi said, adding that, due to the risk of cross-contamination, all such foods were a potential health hazard.

Scientists have been working for months trying to identify the origin of the listeriosis outbreak in the country and have now made a breakthrough.

Motsoaledi says that more than 16 environmental samples from the Enterprise factory in Polokwane tested positive for listeriosis.

“We can now conclude scientifically that the source of the present outbreak is the Enterprise Food production facility located in Polokwane,” Motsoaledi told a briefing at the offices of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases.

Tiger Brands said it was cooperating with authorities and RCL Foods said it would suspend all production of its Rainbow Polony brand.

Motsoaledi said although RCL Foods had not been identified as a source of the outbreak, a facility owned by the firm was under investigation. Inquiries were ongoing at a second facility run by Enterprise Foods to establish if it too had contributed.

Listeriosis, the infection caused by the bacteria, causes flu-like symptoms, nausea, diarrhoea and infection of the blood and brain. It poses a higher risk for newborns, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weak immunity.

The outbreak has caused 180 fatalities and 948 reported cases since January 2017.

Tiger Brands spokeswoman Nevashnee Naicker said:“We are all extremely concerned by listeriosis – we all want to find the source or sources of listeriosis, together with the government.”

RCL Foods chief legal officer Stephen Heath said the company was recalling its polony products even though test results were still pending.

“RCL Foods is sharing all results from its testing, both internally and externally, with the relevant authorities,” Heath said.“We will continue to take every precaution to safeguard our products as well as our consumers.

South African supermarket operator Pick n Pay said it had withdrawn the products from its shelves. “All fridges and food preparation areas in our stores will now be re-cleaned to prevent any cross-contamination. Recalled meat is being isolated and will be safely destroyed,” spokeswoman Tamra Capstick-Dale said in a statement. </s> JOHANNESBURG, March 4 (Reuters) - South Africans were told not to consume “ready to eat” processed meat on Sunday as the government linked a listeria outbreak which has killed 180 people to a sausage meat made by the country’s biggest consumer foods group.

The meat, known as “Polony”, made by Tiger Brands unit Enterprise Food and by RCL Foods, would be recalled from stores, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said.

“We advise members of the public to avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat,” Motsoaledi said.

Tiger Brands said it was cooperating with authorities, while RCL Foods said it would issue a statement soon.

Motsoaledi said although RCL Foods had not been identified as a source of the outbreak, a facility owned by the firm was under investigation. Inquiries were ongoing at a second facility run by Enterprise Foods to establish if it too had contributed.

Listeria, which causes flu-like symptoms, nausea, diarrhoea, infection of the blood stream and brain, has led to 180 fatalities and 948 reported cases since January 2017.

“We can now conclude scientifically that the source of the present outbreak is the Enterprise Food production facility located in Polokwane,” Motsoaledi told a briefing at the offices of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).

“We are all extremely concerned by listeriosis – we all want to find the source or sources of listeriosis, together with the government,” Nevashnee Naicker, a Tiger Brands spokeswoman, said.

The minister said the National Consumer Commission had issued Enterprise Foods and RCL Foods with orders to recall their food products distributed locally or for export.

“We are committed to ensuring that all Enterprise products, as identified, will be recalled as part of the directive received,” Naicker added.

Motsoaledi said due to the risk of cross-contamination of other ready-to-eat processed meat products, Viennas, Russians, Frankfurters, sausages, and other “cold meat” products that are typically not cooked before eating posed a risk.

South African supermarket operator Pick n Pay said it had withdrawn the meat products from its shelves.

“We are urgently withdrawing them from our stores,” Tamra Capstick-Dale, said in a statement on behalf of the grocer.

“All fridges and food preparation areas in our stores will now be re-cleaned to prevent any cross-contamination. Recalled meat is being isolated and will be safely destroyed.”

Listeriosis poses a higher risk for newborns, the elderly, pregnant women, and persons with weak immunity, he said. (Reporting by James Macharia Editing by Alexander Smith) </s> The South Africa listeria outbreak that has killed 180 people since January is the largest ever recorded globally, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

“Yes, this is the largest ever recorded outbreak of this severe form of listeriosis globally,” Peter K. Ben Embarek, who manages the WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network, told Reuters in an emailed response.

Meanwhile several Southern African nations including Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Namibia have banned several processed imports from South Africa, following the revelations that the listeria outbreak had been traced to ready to eat meat.

Zambia’s health minister Chitalu Chilufya said the ban would also include dairy products, vegetables and fruits.

Malawi’s Competition and Fair Trading Commission asked wholesalers and retailers to withdraw South Africa meat products from shelves.

Media in South Africa reported that hundreds of customers had flocked the factories and stores suspected of being the source of the listeriosis infection, returning goods they had already purchased and demanding refunds.

South Africa’s Health Minister, Arron Motsoaledi, told a media briefing over the weekend, that the Enterprise facility in Germiston, east of Johannesburg, was the source of the outbreak.

The minister demanded that Russian and Vienna sausages, as well as the cold meat polony be removed from shelves immediately.

The chief executive officer of Tiger Brands, who run the Enterprise facility that makes meat polony has however said the company is yet to be provided with evidence showing a direct link between the 180 listeriosis deaths and the company’s products.

The company has nevertheless recalled all exported products and says it has taken immediate action and corrective steps to address the listeriosis outbreak.

‘‘To give you some insights, Enterprise foods follow some stringent protocols for the manufacture of quality food products, this includes monitoring and testing for the detection and management of pathogens, viruses and bacteria, including listeria,’‘ Lawrence MacDougall said.

South Africa’s processed meat market grew about 8 percent in 2017 to a retail value of $412 million, according to Euromonitor International. Tiger Brands has a 35.7 percent market share, followed by Eskort Bacon Co-Operative with 21.8 percent. Rhodes Food, RCL Foods and Astral Foods each have less than 5 percent. </s> Polony from the Enterprise factory in Polokwane, Limpopo, has been fingered as the culprit behind the Listeriosis outbreak in the country.

“The source of the present outbreak can be confirmed to be the Enterprise food production facility in Polokwane,” said Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi on Sunday.

Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs), together with the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), and officials from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) had visited the food production site in Polokwane.

Results from this factory became available at midnight, prompting the Health Minister to hold an urgent media briefing in which he informed the public to avoid all processed meat products immediately.

“While we know that polony is definitely implicated, there is a risk of cross-contamination of other ready-to-eat processed meat products, either at production, distribution or retail.

We advise members of the public to avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat,” said the Minister.

Processed meat products such as polony, viennas, russians, frankfurters, sausages and cold meat products were listed as no go zones by the Minister.

The cause of the outbreak strain ST6 was confirmed in 16 environmental samples collected from the Enterprise facility.

In addition to the Polokwane facility, another Enterprise facility located in Germiston, Gauteng, tested positive for Listeria but it is yet to be confirmed if it is the same ST6 strain.

While another facility, known as the Rainbow Chicken Limited (RCL), tested positive for Listeria, samples from this facility are not same strain that is causing the outbreak.

“Such contamination of ready-to-eat processed meat products constitutes a health risk. Also, over 10% of environmental samples collected by the EHPs at this facility have tested positive for L. monocytogenes,” said the Minister.

With this in mind, the Health Department issued a recall of these cold meat products for Enterprise and RCL. </s> JOHANNESBURG: South African supermarkets began a mass recall on Sunday (Mar 4) of meat products made at a facility that health officials say was the source of a listeriosis outbreak that has killed 180 since January 2017.

Listeriosis is caused by a bacteria found in soil, water, vegetation and animal faeces, and can contaminate food, especially fresh meat, dairy and seafood. It is prevented by basic hygiene and washing food.

The country's second largest supermarket chain, Pick n Pay, said it had "acted immediately to withdraw all products from the manufacturing sites identified by the Department of Health".

"All fridges and food preparation areas in our stores will now be re-cleaned to prevent any cross-contamination. Recalled meat is being isolated and will be safely destroyed," Pick n Pay, which has 1,420 stores in South Africa, said in a statement. It warned that "a very broad range of retailers" could be affected.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi earlier revealed that the current outbreak began at a facility run by Enterprise foods in Polokwane, the capital of northeastern Limpopo province. He warned that two other sites could also be affected.

Products including locally popular polony sausages, also known as baloney, made at the Enterprise plant would be subject to immediate safety recalls, he added.

Enterprise said in a statement that it "prioritises the health and safety of consumers above all else".

"We are committed to ensuring that all Enterprise products, as identified, will be recalled as part of the directive received," it said.

The National Consumer Commission will now work with manufacturers to ensure no affected products are sold, Motsoaledi said.

"The safety recall will affect the manufacturers' entire distribution networks, both domestic and international," he added.

"We advise members of the public to avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat."

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said that 948 cases of listeriosis had been confirmed since January 1, 2017, leading to 180 deaths.

The death toll stood at 172 as recently as February 22.

The United Nations has previously said South Africa's listeriosis outbreak is believed to be the largest-ever worldwide.

The disease mainly affects children and has a three-week incubation period, making it difficult to track.

Contamination in humans can result in flu-like illness, infection of the bloodstream and, in severe cases, infection of the brain which can prove fatal.

People with compromised immune systems, like some of those living with AIDS and pregnant women, are at a heightened risk, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). </s> The World Health Organization is coordinating efforts among 16 African countries in an attempt to contain the world’s largest ever Listeria outbreak as officials in Namibia try to discern whether a sick person in that country contracted listeriosis from processed meat imported from South Africa.

In another development this week, officials in Mozambique reported they have incinerated 55 metric tons of assorted processed meat — referred to in the region as polony — imported from Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken facilities in South Africa. Laboratory tests have shown that both companies’ production plants are contaminated.

Almost 200 people are confirmed to have died in the outbreak and almost 1,000 have been confirmed sick with listeriosis, according to South Africa’s health department.

Company officials with Rainbow doubled down on denials that the foodborne pathogen is not present in their plant, directly challenging South Africa’s Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi. Rainbow, known as RCL Foods, claims the problem is in the Enterprise plant in Polokwane. South Africa’s health department says the results of independent lab tests paid for by RCL do not change the situation.

“The real point is that listeria monocytogenes were found in their (RLC Foods) Wolwehoek factory, which has not changed,” health department spokesperson Popo Maja told South African media outlets.

“We made it clear … that we only had results of whole genome sequencing for the Enterprise Foods Polokwane production facility. We further clarify that for the RCL Foods Wolwehoek production facility in Sasolburg, we only have results of culture so far and that 14 percent of the environmental samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. We are awaiting whole genome sequencing results early next week.”

In Namibia, where traceback efforts are ongoing, public health officials told allafrica.com on Tuesday that they have determined a man who fell ill two weeks ago was infected by Listeria-contaminated Vienna sausage. They have identified a butcher shop in Grootfontein.

However, regional officials have not yet been able to establish whether the processed meat product was imported from South Africa. They are also waiting on confirmation tests to determine if the sick man is infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes. Meanwhile, Namibia’s main international entry points to Otavi and Grootfontein have initiated monitoring measures to prevent potentially contaminated imports.

“We will have a meeting with the managing director of the company which supplied the product, then we will screen and go to the market and remove all the products associated with the outbreak and dispose of them,” Oshikoto Region Health Director Peter Angala told allafrica.com.

In Mozambique National Inspectorate of Economic Activities General Inspector Acácio Foia told allafrica.com on Monday that there are still 40 metric tons of imported processed meats to be incinerated. He said imports of the polony produced by RCL Foods and Enterprise are being stopped at the border.

“I guarantee you that these products are not entering Mozambique,” he said. “The most important thing is to guarantee that (our department) and a multi-sector team that includes the customs service and the heath and agricultural authorities are ready in the field.”

WHO encourages cooperation, action

 Outbreak specialists with the World Health Organization also say a multi-pronged approach is needed. The WHO is seeking the help of 16 African nations to contain the outbreak.

Tuesday the international organization reported the contaminated ready-to-eat processed meat products may have been exported to two West African countries and 14 members of the South African Development Community (SADC). Those members are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The WHO also reported it expects more people to fall ill before the outbreak is over, even though the implicated polony has been recalled.

“… in light of the potentially long incubation period of listeriosis and the challenges relating to large scale nationwide recall processes, further cases are likely to occur,” according to a statement from the WHO detailing how countries need to work together on improving abilities to prepare for, detect and respond to outbreaks.

“This outbreak is a wake up call for countries in the region to strengthen their national food safety and disease surveillance systems,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

The international public health organization heralded whole genome sequencing as an invaluable tool in the outbreak investigation thus far. WHO is supporting further genome sequencing to determine which cases are linked to this on-going outbreak, according to the Tuesday statement. </s> A factory of Enterprise Foods, a subsidiary of Tiger Brands, has been identified as the source of the world’s largest outbreak of listeria.

 

On Sunday afternoon, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that polony and products from the Enterprise factory in Polokwane‚ Limpopo, were the source of the outbreak.

 

In a statement, Tiger Brands said it had been alerted on Sunday regarding the need to recall identified Enterprise products. 

 

“We are all extremely concerned by listeriosis – we all want to find the source or sources of listeriosis, together with the government,” the group said.

"As a company that prioritises the health and safety of consumers above all else, we are committed to ensuring that all Enterprise products, as identified, will be recalled as part of the directive received. We are working very closely with the officials at present to conduct the process and will provide updates to the public on this matter.” 

 

More than 16 environmental samples from the Polokwane factory tested positive for the listeriosis monocytogenes strain ST 6.

The results from the factory were confirmed at midnight on Saturday at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) as the strain to blame for the outbreak that killed 27% of patients in South Africa.

 

The group said the company had proactively amplified its testing for listeria and confirmed it had found a low detection of a strain of listeria in some products on February 14, though the presence of the ST6 strain had not been confirmed by its tests.

The group has furthermore sent its samples to an external laboratory to test for the strain itself and should receive the results on Monday. 

 

“We have been actively engaging the Department of Health and the NICD on our findings and have openly collaborated with the department and the NICD on these findings and the actions taken to date to actively address our findings. We await confirmation of the strain testing to confirm the strain. In the meantime, we reaffirm our commitment to recall the identified Enterprise products as soon as possible,” the statement said.

 

Motsoaledi said consumers should avoid all processed meat products sold as ready to eat. He told pregnant women to avoid any processed meat “like the plague”.

 

“The National Consumer Commission has issued the manufacturer involved [Enterprise] with food recall notices‚” the minister said.

 

This particular strain of listeria monocytogenes that infected so many people is sequence-type 6 and is particularly “virulent”. It is transmitted from food.

 

It has led to at least 180 deaths and infected almost 1‚000 people.

 

“It is the worst outbreak in global history‚” Prof Lucia Anelich from Anelich Consulting Food Safety Solutions said earlier.

Who is affected by listeriosis?

Listeriosis affects the elderly‚ those with compromised immune systems such as people with Aids and diabetics, and newborn babies

 

The disease is particularly scary for pregnant woman who may have no symptoms when being infected with the bacteria but can pass it onto their babies.

 

It is believed the number of stillbirths may have increased as a result of pregnant women infected with it‚ said Juno Thomas‚ head of enteric diseases at the NICD.

 

One of the reasons it is so hard to find is because‚ even in solid food‚ a scientist may sample the infected food and not find it.

For example‚ a slice of polony could be tested and have none of the micro-organism, but a different slice could have it.

Anelich said: “A micro-organism in a solid food is not homogenously distributed throughout food. A statistical sampling technique has to be used to ensure it is detected.”

 

It is also difficult to find in factories. Anelich said it could hide away in niches in the factory environment in cracks or bad joints and pipes.

 

Even if you sanitised a factory‚ you might miss the bugs hiding in cracks‚ she said.

 

Listeria bacteria can sense when it is near other bacteria and secrete a sugary goo. This substance is called a biofilm and can allow the bacteria to live on inanimate surfaces.

 

The biofilm protects the bacteria from cleaning agents. “A detergent could get superficial cells but leave behind some bacteria.”

 

Motsoaledi said that people at risk such as pregnant women‚ those with HIV and those with weakened immune systems had to avoid all ready-to-eat products such as viennas‚ polony and frankfurters. Such products could be cross-contaminated in shops as they are often stored next to polony.

 

A Rainbow Chicken factory in Wolwerhoek in Sasolburg also tested positive for listeria monocytogenes — but it was not the strain causing this current outbreak.

 

The polony from Rainbow Chicken has also been recalled. </s> The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) has issued a recall of all products from the Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken Limited companies. Tests on samples from those factories have been found to have traces of the Listeria bacteria, a cause of food poisoning. Pick n Pay, along with other supermarket chains, has acted swiftly to withdraw all products from Enterprise and RCL from its shelves.

“Given the findings of Listeria, it is clear that there has been a drop in the quality controls at these facilities. They have, as of this morning, been issued with safety recall notices according to Section 60(2) of the Consumer Protection Act,” said dti Director General Lionel October.

Results which came in at midnight confirmed that polony from the Enterprise facility was the cause of the current Listeriosis outbreak, prompting Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to call an urgent press briefing.

While Rainbow Chicken Limited (RCL), tested positive for Listeria, its samples did not test positive for the strain ST6, which is the cause of the outbreak. Nonetheless, it would also be pulled from the shelves as it posed a health risk, October said.

Motsoaledi said, “Such contamination of ready-to-eat processed meat products constitutes a health risk. Also, over 10% of environmental samples collected by the EHPs at this facility have tested positive for L. Monocytogenes.”

The Health Department issued a recall of these cold meat products from Enterprise and RCL.

 “The National Consumer Commission has, in terms of Section 60(2) of the Consumer Protection Act, this morning issued manufacturers concerned with safety recall notices,” said Motsoaledi.

Last week Grocott’s Mail reported that one listeriosis-linked death in Grahamstown had been confirmed by the Eastern Cape Department of Health. This information followed public news from Sarah Baartman District Municipality that stated two deaths had occurred in Grahamstown as a result of the bacteria. While the report named water as the potential source, the claim was strongly refuted by Health Department Spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo.

At today’s press briefing, Motsoaledi said, “The source of the present outbreak can be confirmed to be the Enterprise food production facility in Polokwane.”

Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs), together with the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), and officials from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) had visited the food production site in Polokwane.

Results from this factory became available at midnight, prompting the Health Minister to hold an urgent media briefing in which he informed the public to avoid all processed meat products immediately.

“While we know that polony is definitely implicated, there is a risk of cross-contamination of other ready-to-eat processed meat products, either at production, distribution or retail. We advise members of the public to avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat,” said the Minister.

Processed meat products such as polony, viennas, russians, frankfurters, sausages and cold meat products were listed as no-go zones by the Minister.

The cause of the outbreak strain ST6 was confirmed in 16 environmental samples collected from the Enterprise facility.

In addition to the Polokwane facility, another Enterprise facility located in Germiston, Gauteng, tested positive for Listeria but it is yet to be confirmed if it is the same ST6 strain.

Pick n Pay said following Motsoaledi’s announcement, they had acted immediately to withdraw all products from the manufacturing sites identified by the Department of Health.

“Enterprise and Rainbow supply a very broad range of retailers across South Africa,” the national retailer said in a statement. “All Enterprise products (including the Bokkie, Renown, Lifestyle and Mieliekip brands) have already been recalled by the company concerned and we are urgently withdrawing them from our stores.

“In addition, all ready-to-eat products such as polony and russian sausages manufactured at the Rainbow facility in Sasolburg are also being withdrawn. This action is taking place in all Pick n Pay and Boxer stores. In addition, as a precaution, Pick n Pay branded chicken polony, manufactured by Rainbow, is also being withdrawn.”

The retailer said all fridges and food preparation areas in our stores would be re-cleaned to prevent any cross-contamination.

“Recalled meat is being isolated and will be safely destroyed.”

Any customer concerned that they may have bought a ready-to-eat meat product linked to the outbreak could return it to their stores for a full refund, Pick n Pay said.

Similar action by Shoprite was reported on ENCA https://www.enca.com/south-africa/tiger-brands-shoprite-remove-listeriosis-products

Together with the Public Service Accountability Monitoring (PSAM) Grocott’s Mail has attempted to get clarity from the Makana Sub-District of the Eastern Cape Department of Health on monitoring and containment of listeriosis in Makana, as well as further confirmation of cases.

According to the National Department of Health’s “Clinical Guidelines on Management and Control of Foodborne Diseases” issued in 2011 an outbreak is defined as “two or more linked patients presenting with acute gastrointestinal, neurological, hepatic or hemorrhagic manifestation after having a shared/common meal/beverage during the past 72 hours.”

At this time, Grocott’s Mail cannot confirm an outbreak of listeriosis in Grahamstown.

Though the Clinical Guidelines state that two linked patients must have consumed the contaminated source within 72 hours of expressing symptoms, infections like listeriosis are exceptions.

Nationally, provincial outbreak response teams are to be created as a way to expedite and ensure proper follow through of procedures. PSAM nor Grocott’s Mail found evidence to suggest the Eastern Cape had an outbreak response team.

In 2017, 557 cases were reported across all nine provinces, with 62 percent from Gauteng. As of 16 January, 764 cases had been reported nationally with 212 in Johannesburg.

Grocott’s Mail spoke to three local healthcare workers confidentially and were told that informative pamphlets about listeriosis were distributed to the community within the last month by sub-district officials. One source stated that they did not believe healthcare workers at the facility had been educated about listeriosis or the correct reporting procedures. Another said that there were no posters or signs around the facility except those urging patrons to wash their hands.

The Eastern Cape Department of Health was approached regarding public awareness and education efforts but have not yet commented at this time.

The reported claim that the Grahamstown case was a result of drinking contaminated water (Sarah Baartman News) has not been confirmed and was strongly denied by Kupelo.

Grocott’s Mail and PSAM will continue to report on this issue to our readers.
• Reporting in partnership with PSAM.

The Health Minister reiterated his call for high risk people such as pregnant women, very young infants, elderly persons and anyone with a weakened immune system due to HIV and cancer to completely avoid all processed meats. “The recall of these products does not mean that members of the public must now relax and stop following food safety rules,” said Motsoaledi. General food safety rules advised by the Health Department include:

 * Wash your hands before handling food or when coming back from the bathroom.

 * Cook food thoroughly.

 * Separate raw food from cooked food.

 * Store food at an appropriate temperature.

 * Wash uncooked food with clean running water.

 * Only use pasteurised or boiled milk products. National Institute for Communicable Diseases Head Juno Thomas said the public can use bleach to disinfect and thoroughly clean their fridges to avoid contamination. Visit the Department of Health website for more information on food-borne disease and how to prevent it. 5 keys 2 safer food



MORE ABOUT LISTERIOSIS IN GRAHAMSTOWN </s> TAKING ACTION: A supermarket staff member removes all Enterprise processed meat products from its shelves after a customer returned one of them yesterday.

JOHANNESBURG - RCL Foods said on Monday its Wolwehoek processing plant had suspended all production of its Rainbow Polony brand and was in the process of recalling the product from its entire customer base over a listeriosis outbreak.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Sunday processed food manufacturers Enterprise, a division of Tiger Brands, and Rainbow Chicken Limited had been issued with safety recall notices following the outbreak.

Have you read: Pick n Pay removes listeriosis-linked food from shelves

RCL Foods said on Monday its Wolwehoek processing plant taking its precautionary measures "despite the fact that the results from testing of its environmental samples are still pending".

"It must be highlighted that the specific strain of pathogen responsible for the outbreak has not been linked to the Wolwehoek facility," the company said, adding that it was continuing detailed discussions and working closely with representatives from the depart of health, the department of agriculture, forests and fisheries and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases.

Also read: WATCH: Listeriosis outbreak - What customers should do now!
South African officials determine that the country's ongoing listeriosis outbreak—which is already the world's deadliest listeriosis outbreak, killing over 180 people and sickening 1,000 more—was caused by contaminated "Polony" processed meat. The Ministry of Health issues a recall of contaminated products from RCL Foods and from Tiger Brands subsidiary company Enterprise Food and advises the public to avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat.