Lerøy Midt believes it is not certain that the infection in Sweden came from them. Photo: Kyst.no
Now the bacteria that caused the outbreak has been found again at Lerøy Midt. The salmon producer has received clear instructions to notify its customers.
– This strengthens the suspicion we had, says Mats Lindblad, who is the infection control coordinator at the Food and Drug Administration, the Swedish response to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. NRK.
In 2022, 19 Swedes fell ill and seven died in close connection with Listeria. They concluded that salmon from Lerøy Midt’s slaughterhouse at Hitra in Trøndelag was a likely source of the listeria outbreak.
Now the bacterium that triggered the outbreak has been found again at the salmon producer in Norway, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority confirms to the national broadcaster.
Lerøy Midt believes it is not certain that the infection in Sweden came from them.
– The type of Listeria that was found is a commonly occurring listeria strain found in the environment around us and in the industry in general, says head of quality and social responsibility Anne-Hilde Midttveit at Lerøy Seafood.
She believes it may have re-entered the factory. At the same time, she adds that the company is following up.
– Food safety has the highest priority in Lerøy. We have therefore already implemented what is in the decision from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority at our operations on Jøsnøya, says Midttveit.