Listeria concerns: have you returned your frozen veg yet?

I agree with you, Alfa. What is concerning is that even companies like Ross – who I thought were processors in their own right and not out-sourcers – are recalling products.

Is the refund what we paid for them whenever? What we would have to pay to replace them? Is it cash or a credit or a voucher? What if I take our bag of frozen mixed vegetables back to Sainsbury’s and they say it’s not one of the affected products [the list is not definitive]? – Will I have to dump or take home the by-now partially-thawed food?

I certainly think the manufacturer’s/processor’s name should be stated on the pack.

Where do Morrison’s, Farm Foods, Iceland, Co-op, and M&S get their frozen veg from? I think we should be told.

Listeriosis is normally associated with consumption of food that has been stored in a refrigerator but not heated, and soft cheeses are often given as an example. The problem is that the bacteria grow down to around 4°C and many domestic fridges are set between 4 and 8°C.

I am a little confused because listeria bacteria are destroyed by cooking, and I assume that most people will not eat uncooked frozen veg. Maybe if they are heated in the microwave, part of the food is not heated thoroughly.

I thought I read affected products came from Hungary and don’t remember where I saw it but found this on the European Food Safety Authority website:
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/180703

But on Ocado, recalled Essential Waitrose Frozen SuperSweet Sweetcorn states:
Country of Origin – France
Country of Packing – UK.

A question asked in the intro was whether listeria is destroyed by cooking. Which? seemed to ignore it. As far as I know cooking does destroy it. Hoever we must presumably consider inadequate cooking.

The word “scandal” is used to describe the problem by Which? in the intro. This suggests it was done deliberately. Is that fair?

All of the products containing sweetcorn were removed from stock before we visited our local Tesco over a week ago, but no details were given as to why. After seeing the Which? warning we checked our freezer and found a pack BBE 2020. I contacted Tesco customer relations and was advised to return them to our store “with a receipt” – we found one and were refunded in cash at the price we paid, which was the same as the bar code scanner said they would be , if they were in stock.
It would seem that the system works, or it did for us.

I went to Sainsbury’s yesterday but forgot to take the part-used packet of frozen mixed vegetables with me. I cannot produce a receipt and wonder why that is necessary: it is obvious from the name on the own-label product that it was bought from Sainsbury’s; it might have been me or it might have been my wife. If I spend time going through our home delivery back orders I might find it, but not necessarily. I suppose if it was a branded product a store could reasonably refuse to give a refund without proof of purchase but since they are going to claim against the manufacturers I think such nit-picking is unnecessary.

Food safety is more important than financial recompense, and in any case we have already eaten half the vegetables, so I shall probably thaw the remainder out, let them dry, and then put them in the waste food caddy for the council to take away and turn into energy.

Whatever you do – don’t put them out for the birds.

These items represent a very useful assessment of the frozen food risks and it is important that all households should be aware of them.

I bought a bag of frozen veg for my dogs – they’re on a raw food diet so I add a couple of handfuls of frozen veg to their food. They both developed severe diarrhea and we were baffled as to why. I only found out about the listeria outbreak after I’d finished the bag and thrown away the packaging. I’m relieved to say that they have both recovered but it was three or four days of grumbly tummies, lethargy and worry.