2017–2018 South African listeriosis outbreak

Prior to 2017, an average of 60 to 80 listeriosis cases were confirmed in South Africa per year. Interviews conducted by the authorities with people who contracted listeriosis indicated that processed cold meats, most notably polony, were the likely cause of the outbreak. The source of the outbreak at the Enterprise Foods facility was only discovered after nine five-year-old children from Soweto were brought to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in mid-January 2018. Samples taken from Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken polony products at the crèche the children attended tested positive for the strain of listeriosis causing the outbreak and led investigators to the infected production facilities. On March 4, 2018, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that the disease was traced to the Enterprise processed meats factory in Polokwane. Environmental samples from the factory were found to contain the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes strain ST 6, the strain responsible for the outbreak. In 2024, the National Health Laboratory Service confirmed that the ST6 strain that was predominantly responsible for the outbreak was only found in Tiger Brands’ Enterprise facility in Polokwane and nowhere else. == Impact ==

Laboratory-confirmed listeriosis cases started to rise in mid-2017 and peaked in December 2017, with 32 cases in a week. At a press conference the next day, Tiger Brands CEO Lawrence MacDougall denied responsibility, stating "There is no direct link between any of the deaths and our products." When pressed by journalists, he refused to apologize. The South African government issued a recall notice of all products of RCL Foods Limited and Enterprise Foods and Rainbow Chicken facilities on March 4. Tiger Brands reportedly admitted to knowing about the presence of listeria in some of its products eighteen days before the government recall. Kenya followed suit on the next day. In December 2018 the South Gauteng High Court granted a certification order opening up the process for class-action lawsuit against Tiger Brands for around 1,000 claimants. Each claimant might be eligible to seek between R100,000 and R2,000,000 in compensation for their losses due to the outbreak. On April 25, 2025, Tiger Brands made a settlement offer in the lawsuit without admitting liability. ==References==