July 19, 2006

 

Australian processor recalls poultry and pork products

 

 

One of Australia's largest meat producers, Darling Downs Foods Pty Ltd issued a voluntary recall of 17 of its product lines after an employee at its Queensland factory was confirmed with the highly contagious hepatitis A virus.

 

The company's shaved ham, turkey and chicken products are now withdrawn from supermarket shelves across Australia.

 

Advertisements with the full list of products affected by the recall would be published in newspapers across Australia.

 

The employee, who works on the packaging line, was first diagnosed with the disease on Jul 9.

 

The 800 staff at the factory are now being monitored for symptoms of the disease.

 

The recall, ordered after consultations with Queensland Health and the Communicable Disease Network Australia, is the first of its kind in Australia.

 

Darling Downs Foods president Mike Adams said the recall had been a tough decision.

 

Hygiene procedures require all employees to sanitise their hands with an alcohol rub before starting a shift, putting on two layers of gloves, an apron and washing down if they come into contact with any potentially contaminated surface.

 

The company bases its business on the hygiene it applies to its products, Adams said. It has in mind its consumers and want to make sure they do not get unwell eating Darling Downs products, he said. 

 

Estimates put the cost of the recall at up to A$500,000 (US$373,100).