The East London IDZ based Sundale Free Range Dairy has issued a warning to consumers that there is evidence linking Listeriosis to unpasteurised dairy products.
Listeriosis has been making headlines since the Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi announced last week that 36 people in the country had died due to the food-borne disease.
Sundale Dairy CEO Pierre van Rensburg says that since the announcement, one person in the Eastern Cape is reported to have died from Listeriosis.
He says according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, 23 others have tested positive for the disease over the past 10 months.
He emphasized that it is spread when people eat food contaminated with a certain bacteria and that Sundale is very concerned about the outbreak.
Van Rensburg added that the most common foods likely to be affected are raw and unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses, ready to eat meats and smoked fish.
"We felt for a long time that this is a ticking timebomb and it needs to be brought under control. We are also internally doing a lot to try and educate our communities, to let them understand that dairy in a controlled environment pasteurized diary is full of great nutrients that we require, but in an uncontrolled environment where raw and unpasteurized milk is sold and distributed, can cause the problems we are experiencing at the moment" he added.
