Two dead in multistate listeria outbreak linked with sliced deli meat, CDC says

Of the 18 people whom state and local public health experts were able to interview, 16 reported eating meats sliced at a deli in the month before they got sick. There are no reports of people getting sick after eating packaged deli meat.

It’s not exactly clear what meat is to blame for the listeria in this outbreak, the CDC says. The CDC and the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service are investigating, but no recalls have been issued.

Most people who were sick reported eating turkey or liverwurst, and some reported eating ham. The meat came from a variety of grocery store delis. Tests using DNA fingerprinting showed that the bacteria from sick people was genetically similar, suggesting that they probably caught the bacteria from the same food.

The timeline of this outbreak stretches over several months, the CDC said. The first person got sick at the end of May, and the most recent case reported being sick on July 5.

Meat glue.

https://www.rd.com/article/meat-glue-ingredient-youre-eating/

The phrase “meat glue” is likely to elicit a few scrunched noses or raised eyebrows, and the image of “gluing meat” together seems entirely unappealing. But transglutaminase (TG), or meat glue as it’s commonly called, is used in many processed foods today. However, it’s a controversial food additive. Indeed, in 2010, the European Union banned its use, according to Food Safety News. But the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) still allows it, and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) classifies meat glue as “generally recognized as safe.” Actually, the United States still uses a lot of ingredients that are banned in other countries.

—> …..The biggest concern—and ultimately the reason the EU banned the enzyme—is bacterial contamination. Each time proteins are “glued” together, the risk for introducing more bacteria, such as E. coli, goes up.

—> “The risk of food poisoning in food that is glued together is extremely high,” Park says. “This is because the smaller pieces of meats used have had a chance to grow bacteria before they are glued together.”

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