The Spanish Agency for Food and Nutritional Safety (AESAN) has become aware, through the Coordinated System for Rapid Exchange of Information (SCIRI), of an alert notification sent by the health authorities of the Community of Madrid. Concretely, this is an alert concerning the presence of the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes in different meat products from the MRM brand.
Citizens who have any of the products included in this alert at home are recommended to refrain from consuming them. The information offered by AESAN on this subject is the result of the health control measures taken by the MRM company itself, which reported this incident to the competent health authorities.
If you have consumed one of the products from the affected batches and have symptoms compatible with listeriosis (vomiting, diarrhea or fever), it is recommended that you go to the nearest health center.
According to the information currently available, the distribution of these products has taken place throughout practically the entire national territory.
If you are pregnant, it is recommended to consult the recommendations for consumption during pregnancy made by AESAN concerning food hygiene practices important for pregnant women, as well as a list of foods to avoid during pregnancy because they are associated to certain biological factors. dangers (among which stands out Listeria monocytogenes).
We remind you of the importance of taking extreme hygiene measures to avoid cross-contamination with other products. For more information on listeriosis you can consult the following link.
Details of products that may have been contaminated are detailed below:
Product 1
- Product name: lacón cut with a knife in tapas.
- Brand: MRM.
- Appearance of the product: sliced and packaged in a protective atmosphere.
- Lot number: 2425040376.
- Expiry date: 02/01/2025.
- Unit weight: 170g.
- Temperature: refrigerated.
Product 2
- Product name: 1st sliced pork head.
- Brand: MRM.
- Product appearance: sliced and vacuum-packed.
- Batch number: 2425100013.
- Expiration date: 12/29/2024.
- Unit weight: 200g.
- Temperature: refrigerated.
Product 3
- Product name: sliced Iberian pork head.
- Brand: MRM.
- Product appearance: sliced and vacuum-packed.
- Batch number: 2421980073.
- Expiration date: 12/29/2024.
- Unit weight: 150g.
- Temperature: refrigerated.
Product 4
- Product name: Smoked mortadella.
- Brand: MRM.
- Product appearance: sliced and vacuum-packed.
- Batch number: 2425010183.
- Expiration date: 01/17/2025.
- Unit weight: 90g, 150g and 200g.
- Temperature: refrigerated.
Listeria monocytogenes
This pathogenic microorganism is responsible for listeriosis, a disease that in 2021 was the fifth most reported zoonosis in the European Union, with more than 2,180 cases, representing an increase of 14% compared to 2020 .
L. monocytogenes It is an omnipresent bacteria in the environment, it can be found in soil, in water and in the intestines of certain animals, which serve as a means of transport for the bacteria in their feces. This bacteria is intelligent and able to respond quickly to changing environmental conditions.
Most of these animals show no symptoms, so the bacteria can be transferred to raw foods such as unpasteurized dairy products, raw vegetables, and raw meats. It is also found in smoked fish and cheeses, especially soft cheeses.
But if we have to describe what would be the characteristic product causing listeriosis, it would be a processed food, with a long commercial life at refrigeration temperatures and which is consumed directly, without the need for apply no cooking treatment. Unlike most foodborne pathogens, L. monocytogenes It can grow in foods with fairly low moisture content and high salt concentration and has the ability to persist for a long time on contaminated surfaces or utensils.
Listeriosis: symptoms
The presence of L. monocytogenes This does not always imply the appearance of listeriosis since not all microorganisms of this species have the same pathogenic capacity. In most cases, the human immune system will have the ability to control the infection, so many people will be asymptomatic carriers of the bacteria. But sometimes these bacterial strains cross the intestinal barrier to multiply and spread in the bloodstream.
The illness is usually associated with flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and, in some cases, gastrointestinal signs; symptoms which generally appear between six hours and four days after contamination. In pregnant women, the most vulnerable, as well as newborns and adults with weakened immune systems, it can cause spontaneous abortions, premature births or serious neonatal infections; They can even transmit the bacteria to the fetus transplacentally or during childbirth.
Listeriosis has become a disease under surveillance and, although rare, can be serious in some cases and has been subject to mandatory reporting since 1998.
