The safest way to dispose of processed cold meats that may be contaminated by listeria is to return them to where they were bought‚ or to the manufacturer.
That was the advice on Wednesday from the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) as a massive recall of affected products continues around the country.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced the recall had been issued to Enterprise Foods and Rainbow Chicken owing to traces of listeria found at these factories.
IWMSA warned that consumers should treat the meat as infectious waste to be disposed of responsibly‚ instead of throwing it in a bin to be eaten later by waste pickers.
That certain cold meats might contain listeria bacteria means they “are condemned”‚ said Professor Suzan Oelofse‚ past president of IWMSA.
“Simply discarding the food in the waste bin will not solve the problem‚ as waste pickers could go through the bags and bins to recover this waste before it is collected and transported to the landfill site. Landfill waste pickers‚ who recover recyclable material from landfill‚ are also at risk‚” she said.
“The correct method to dispose of infectious food is to return it to the store or manufacturer from which it was purchased for responsible disposal through thermal treatment or lime-treated trenching at licensed engineered landfills.”
Consumers and businesses in the food and hospitality industry were advised to search www.allwastesolutions.co.za for reputable treatment and disposal facilities.
By: Petru Saal – TMG Digital
Source: TMG Digital.
