The 5 things you need to know about deli meats

3. The danger of cold cuts: Listeria
No doubt you’ll remember the story about some lunch meat products being recalled for Listeria contamination. It happened almost ten years ago when 35 million pounds of hot dogs and processed luncheon meats were recalled following an outbreak when almost 100 people in 22 states became ill, and 20 people died. It’s a serious food safety issue that you need to pay attention to. Since the outbreak, regulations have been changed and include the safety precaution that food processors must now hold more product, and for a longer time, if a sample tests positive for Listeria, to prevent the distribution of potentially contaminated foods.

Listeriosis is an infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, with an estimated 2,500 persons in the U.S. becoming seriously ill and 500 of these resulting in death each year. The disease affects primarily pregnant women (who are 20 times more likely to become infected and develop a severe illness), newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. The symptoms include fever, muscle aches and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance or convulsions can occur. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, premature delivery or infection of the newborn. Healthy adults and children occasionally get infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.

Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking; however, in certain ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs and deli meats, contamination may occur after cooking but before packaging.

To protect against listeriosis, the government advises consumers to thoroughly cook raw animal products, thoroughly wash all food that is to be eaten raw like fruits and vegetables, keep foods to be eaten raw separate from uncooked meats, and wash hands, knives and cutting boards with hot soapy water. Also, be sure to watch out for the juices from processed meats and sausages; it can transmit Listeria, so wash with hot water and soap anything that comes in contact with the juices.

Note: On Aug. 19, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved LMP 102, a bacteriophage-based product from Intralytix Inc., as a food additive to be sprayed on cold cuts before packaging. The bacteriophages are added to defend the meats from Listeria monocytogenes, the phages infect the bacteria, binding to the host and effectively killing all strains of Listeria.  

4. How much are you paying for water?
It is perfectly legal for food companies to add a water, sodium and water or even water and spices solution to many of the lunch meats including ham, roast beef and turkey, but they must be labeled clearly and state the exact percentage of solution that has been added — for example, “10% water-added” or “Contains Up To 10% Added Moisture,” which means you are paying for one pound of water for every ten pounds of meat that you buy.

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Since food is sold by weight it’s important to read the labels, not only for the declaration of how much water or other solution has been added, but to see where “water” is listed in the ingredients.

5. Deli meats are highly perishable.
No food lasts forever, especially when it comes to cold cuts. While some of these products have natural or chemical preservatives to extend shelf life, packaged cold cuts once opened will only last three to five days. Cold cuts sliced fresh from the deli 1-3 days, if stored properly. Be sure to use an airtight plastic bag to store them and put them in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

Freshness dating of processed meats is a voluntary program and not mandated by the federal government. However, if there is a date on the package, by law, it must state clearly what the date signifies:

“Sell by” date means nothing more than telling the store how long to display the product for sale. Never buy the product after this date.

“Best if used by” date means the flavor, taste and quality of the product will be at its optimum before this date. It has nothing to do with freshness or safety.

“Use by” date means just that — don’t consumer the product after this date.

Phil Lempert is food editor of the “Today” show. He welcomes questions and comments, which can be sent to phil.lempert@nbc.com or by using the mail box below. For more about the latest trends on the supermarket shelves, visit Phil’s Web site at SuperMarketGuru.com.

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