Inspectors Look for Salmonella and Listeria on Deli Meat Slicers
The Rhode Island Department of Health is leading a national study on whether dirty or badly designed meat slicers in widespread use at delis and markets are making people sick with Salmonella or Listeria poisoning.
Providence-based WPRI-TV said the national study was prompted by two Salmonella outbreaks that were traced to poorly designed deli slicers in Washington and Georgia. So far, state health inspectors have swabbed and taken apart slicers in 14 delis and markets in Rhode Island, the station reported.
"The goal is to identify to what extent deli slicers are causing illness," said Ernie Julian, director of food protection for the state health department.
According to the television report, inspectors have been finding unhealthy conditions where particles of meat get trapped and drip on freshly cut meat -- setting up the possibility of cross-contamination. The debris gets trapped in hard-to-reach areas and not all delis or markets conduct thorough cleaning every four hours, as recommended.
Some of the machines can't be cleaned effectively because of their design, investigators are finding. Full results of the study are pending while the investigation continues.
