Listeria warning over sliced meat sales - Carlisle News & Star 26th May 2008

HEALTH experts are warning Cumbrian consumers about the possible dangers of cooked sliced meats bought at supermarket and shop counters. It follows a new study – conducted at laboratories in Carlisle, Preston and Chester – to determine how quickly listeria bacteria builds up in these products after purchase. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) currently advises that the vast majority of perishable chilled foods, including sliced-at-the-counter meats, are consumed within 48 hours unless otherwise stated. But the latest laboratory tests found that 7.3 per cent of freshly sliced cooked meats tested were contaminated with the germ listeria monocytogenes on their day of purchase.

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