Processed meats are being recalled from Dutch stores after DNA testing uncovered listeria in samples, Reuters reports.
Officials from the National Institute for Public Health have linked the bacteria to a two-year long food poisoning outbreak, it says. During the outbreak, 20 people became ill, three of whom died and one pregnant woman miscarried. DNA testing enabled officials to determine that the listeria bacteria causing the outbreak likely came from a single source, which they then traced to the Offerman food processing plant in Aalsmeer, a city southwest of Amsterdam, Reuters says.
Offerman, which is a subsidiary of the Belgian food product company Ter Beke, says it has halted processing activities at the plant and has recalled meats that were distributed to grocery stores and other distributors. "Offerman is taking, in consultation with the Dutch Food & Wares Authority, all possible additional measures to guarantee food safety," it says in a statement, according to Reuters.