Source of Virgin Blue contaminated food identified

19 August 2009

A Listeria food poisoning outbreak on Virgin Blue airlines flights has been linked to NSW company, GMI Food Wholesalers Pty Ltd (trading as Australian Poultry and Food Wholesalers), Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said today.

"Results of thorough testing conducted by the Food Authority and Queensland authorities show that the Listeria bacteria came from a cooked, diced chicken product supplied by the company to a Virgin Blue food supplier," Mr Macdonald said.

A national public health alert was triggered recently when Queensland health authorities reported that two pregnant women gave birth prematurely and five other people contracted listeriosis after eating chicken wraps served on Virgin Blue flights out of Brisbane.

"The Authority acted swiftly to identify the supplier and, following investigations by Authority officers, as a public health precaution immediately placed a prohibition order on the company on 4 August.

"Laboratory analysis finalised this week confirms the link that Listeria bacteria consumed by passengers on the Virgin Blue flights originated in the chicken processed at the Wollongong-based plant.

"The prohibition order means the company is forbidden from producing or selling the implicated chicken product and any other ready-to-eat meats manufactured at the premises.

"This order will remain in place until further notice.

"Consumers can be assured that the contaminated product that was sent to Queensland has been isolated and removed from the marketplace," the Minister said.

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• Source of Virgin Blue contaminated food identified pdf version 27KB media release
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