Listeria fear

[AnxiousFTM]

Currently 27+6 with our first miracle baby and have worked myself into a bit of a state... I realise that to some people this will just sound like I’m overly paranoid but I really need some reassurance...

I’ve just realised that our fridge/freezer has packed up, but have scared myself silly with the thought of listeria esp in this warmer weather! Obviously i don’t know exactly when it stopped working but think it must be quite a while as various bits in the freezer have started to defrost, so I’m guessing at some point yesterday. I’ve been racking my brains to think of what I’ve actually eaten that could’ve been affected, narrowed it down to some mozzarella yesterday at lunch time, then yoghurt and chicken for dinner last night (cooked thoroughly so assuming this is ok?!) My main concern and what alerted me to it was that I had a cheese and onion pre packed sandwich in there and it wasn’t until I’d eaten most of it just now for lunch that I realised it wasn’t cold. I’ve been being so careful, have hardly even eaten pre packed sandwiches as know some say they are a listeria risk in themselves and now I’ve basically eaten one thats been left out all day! Just another thing for me to worry about!! Arrgghh!!

Unless you bought the pre-packed sandwich from a country outside the EU or from a market stall where listeria-ridden produce had been on full show, you will not have have contracted listeria.

I would recommend reading the book Expecting Better by Emily Oster....don’t let overcautiousness and very outdated health scaremongery spoil your ability to enjoy your pregnancy. Women have been having babies for a really long time...!

Listeria bacteria dies when you heat food though. It’s also much, much rarer in the UK and Europe than the USA because of more consistant food safety so probably best not to read US info on it which can be more alarmist

www.nhs.uk/conditions/Listeriosis/

Thanks Sessy, will have a look for that book.

That NHS link does say that pre-packed sandwiches pose a risk which is what concerns me, although they aren’t on the list of foods advised against, and also that there are often no symptoms so i wouldn’t know until its too late. I know its still unlikely but does it increase the risk that the sandwich was not kept chilled?

I’ve got a midwife appt on wednesday, maybe I can ask for a blood test although most likely they will think im paranoid.

If your fridge was mostly closed you have nothing to worry about. Food that's left in the sun might go off quickly, but food in a contained environment will still take time to turn, even in summer. I certainly don't think your fridge would be a breeding ground for listeria 24 hours after turning off.

I know how anxious these things can make you - it's definitely easy to be sanguine from the outside - but please don't worry. You'll be fined

@OP; Yes, I’m a medical professional. I’m familiar with the concerns and process if listeriosis.

I’ve copied this information from a well referenced article published in 2012.

‘Here are some other things that are wantonly untrue: pasteurisation, in fact, has nothing to do with a cheese's ability to harbour the listeria bacteria. The bacteria that characterise different cheeses are introduced after the pasteurisation process anyway. Listeria flourishes in moist environments, so parmesan is safe where camembert isn't, but even rinded and soft cheeses are safe once they have been cooked. But food hygiene is a much more important factor than moisture - raw fish does not come out of the sea carrying listeria, but contracts the bacteria from contact with dirty hands. Of the past two outbreaks of listeria in Britain, one was from butter and the other from lettuce (there have been other instances of product recalls, but no human contamination).
In fact the three worst recorded cases of listeria since 1992 have all been in France, and were all from pork tongue in jelly, which nobody in their right mind would ever eat. Of the past 10 listeriosis outbreaks in America, only two were from cheese, and one of those was a Mexican homemade cheese. The notion that there are pregnant people out there whipping themselves into a frenzy of guilt because they have eaten some gorgonzola is just infuriating.’

For prepacked food there needs to be an element of common sense. If you bought it from a fridge and then stored it at the bottom of your handbag overnight it definitely won’t he safe to eat.

Thanks both!

Teddybear, I have been so careful up til now and would never knowingly eat anything risky, that is why I’m so annoyed with myself that I didn’t realise until too late that it wasn’t chilled.

But I know the risk is low, its just that little ‘what if’ that keeps creeping in. Hopefully I’ll be able to put the thought out of my head soon.