Summer is in full swing! Plenty of fun things may be going on in your facility during this time. The last thing you’re probably worried about is Listeria. But the Listeria bacteria, found in contaminated food and elsewhere, can sicken your customers, guests, or employees – causing an outbreak that could impact your business or organization. Listeria can affect fitness facilities, classrooms, food processing facilities, restaurants, and anywhere people share space and equipment or eat.
Quick Facts About Listeria
- Listeria outbreaks happen regularly.
- Most healthy people can recover quickly from listeria infections.
- Pregnant women, young children, elderly people, and people with compromised immune systems are more sensitive to listeria infections.
- Symptoms of listeria infections (called listeriosis) include achy muscles, nausea, diarrhea, occasional vomiting, and sometimes, fever. The symptoms can take effect a few days after ingesting contaminated food but occasionally will strike up to weeks later.
Why is Killing Listeria Difficult?
Listeria bacteria pose a unique problem because they’re not easy to kill. What makes this bacteria uniquely different from others is its abnormal tolerance for extreme temperatures and its ability to live on a surface for years. Enforcing and practicing solid cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection standards and protocols can help safeguard your facility against the danger of a Listeria outbreak.
What Are Some Ways Listeria Can Spread?
Contaminated Food
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports on major listeria outbreaks linked to contaminated food. There are generally several outbreaks each year. From romaine lettuce to cantaloupes to lunch meat, listeria can contaminate it.
Contaminated Surfaces and Utensils
If contaminated foods come into contact with surfaces, utensils, or kitchen tools, listeria can spread to them.
Knives, cutting boards, pots and pans, shared towels, serving trays, counters, and even door handles are all at risk for contamination. When proper sanitation and disinfection procedures aren’t in place, listeria can easily multiply.
Food Containers
Storing contaminated produce or meat that harbors bacteria in containers also creates a risk for bacteria to spread. If the container is not disinfected properly, listeria can survive and reproduce. After a container has been used to temporarily store food, it should be disinfected.
Accidental Cross-Contamination
Simple lapses in handwashing can even heighten the possibility of a listeria outbreak. For example, guests who have been grocery shopping and have come into contact with the bacteria, then workout at your facility without washing their hands properly, can bring listeria from an outside place into your facility.
Other ways accidental cross-contamination can occur may include improperly sanitized equipment, using contaminated utensils or tools, carrying bacteria on shoes from place to place, and touching vents or drains where bacteria are present and then touching other surfaces – all potentially spreading listeria throughout your facility.
Where Can Listeria Live In My Facility?
Listeria can live on just about any surface it comes into contact with. This includes the obvious sources like on/ in food, in kitchens, and on counters. But it’s not limited to food-related spaces. You’ll also find it in bathrooms due to contaminated hands and shoes, or airborne particles from feces and vomit.
While we commonly link the spread of listeria to food-related industries, it can impact any facility where people share a space and use the same equipment.
Refrigerators
Listeria can survive extremely cold temperatures, so thinking that a refrigerator is safe from bacteria growth isn’t a good plan. Keep refrigerators set to a maximum of 40 degrees Fahrenheit and regularly clean and disinfect all surfaces to help eradicate listeria.
Kitchen Tables and Counters
Because listeria is a hearty bacteria it can survive for a very long time on many surfaces. Kitchen tables and counters must be sanitized and disinfected daily. Start by cleansing the surface to remove any debris. Then use an EPA registered disinfectant to fully eradicate the bacteria. Do this at least once a day.
Kitchen Tools (knives, cutting boards, etc.)
When handling meat or produce, kitchen tools are at a high risk of becoming contaminated. Not only do they come directly into contact with bacteria, they also come into contact with dirty hands or surfaces that can spread the pathogens to otherwise safe foods. Regular sanitation habits are a must, as well as proper food handling procedures.
Hands, Doorknobs, Handles
Spread through direct contact, listeria easily migrates from hands to doorknobs and handles. Proper handwashing, wearing gloves according to safety protocol, and being mindful that even if hands don’t look dirty, they still might be contaminated, can help you prevent the spread of this bacteria in your facility.
Restrooms
Strains of listeria can spread through bodily fluids. Contaminated hands are the most common transmission method, but contaminated shoes can also move it from a bathroom to a treadmill or gym mat.
Listeria Prevention Tips
Proper sanitation and disinfecting practices are key to controlling listeria bacteria in your facility. Here are a few tips to help keep listeria from infecting and employees, customers and guests.
- Create systems to help employees monitor and ensure that food prep and storage temperatures fall in the safe zone.
- Keep a consistent schedule and logs of ongoing cleaning at appropriate time intervals.
- Always be sure to prepare sanitizers and disinfectants to the manufacturer’s specifications.
- Always clean equipment with soapy water and remove all residue before disinfecting items.
- Use NSF certified food-safe sanitizers and disinfectants to kill germs and pathogens on kitchen surfaces and equipment.
- Create a system to regularly check your facility for cracked, rusted, and damaged equipment that could harbor listeria.
- Implement a system to regularly disinfect surfaces that come into contact with food. 2XL’s Force® No Rinse Food Service Disinfecting Wipes require no mixing of chemicals and can save time for busy kitchens. Ideally, each surface should be disinfected after each use.
- Identify disinfecting solutions and choose the best one for your facility. Pre-moistened wipes make cleaning multiple surfaces easy. Look for wipes that don’t contain bleach or alcohol to ensure they won’t damage tools, utensils, equipment, and surfaces.
- Store food at safe temperatures and if appropriate, heat to the correct temperature before eating or serving.
- Fully wash all produce before cooking, eating, or serving it.
Listeria Prevention Is Your Responsibility
A listeria outbreak in your facility will create negative PR for your business. It’s your responsibility as a facility manager or owner to provide a safe place for guests and customers. You can mitigate outbreaks by building consistent sanitation practices to control, remove, and prevent listeria bacteria from growing and spreading through your facility.