food recall...ugh

[cofo]

so, some biscuits that i cooked about a week ago, are on recall now. for listeria. they were frozen and i am the one that handled them, then cooked them. then me and my family ate them. i threw the rest out today, but i'm freaking out because i don't want us to have listeria. i cannot google. that's the worst. so, i don't know if the incubation period is long(like salmonella can be, i think, 2 weeks), or short. i want to know so badly but i know that google will not help. i also know that if i find out that it's long, i'll be freaking out even more.


so, what do i do?
i hate this.
ridiculous.

[cattia]

cooking generally kills listeria, which is why pregnant women are not allowed to eat soft cheeses like brie and cammbert but they can eat them if they are cooked.

[cofo]

i thought that might be the case. i guess if i got them to a high enough temperature. but i handled them raw. so, that kinda has me concerned still.

---------- Post added at 14:12 ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 ----------

Any suggestions for what I can do to not worry about this?

[EKB]

I found this of the CCI health anxiety modules to be helpful: http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/docs/ACF6425.pdf

I'm sorry about the stress the recall is causing you. Couple of things to take comfort in are: even if you handled raw dough, if you washed your hands and otherwise practiced good kitchen hygiene you are probably just fine. Also, many of these recalls are prompted by a very small sample testing positive for the contamination in question often prior to even leaving the factory. So it doesn't mean your particular package has the contaminant, but it could and was correct and wise to stop eating it and dispose of it. But it's not a 100% guarantee that you're going to get sick from what you did eat.

I hope all turns out well! And again, I'm sorry that you have to go through this. Given the CCI module a shot. Can't hurt.

And good on you for resisting Google!

[cofo]

thank you so much. i will give your link a try.
in the meantime, i began thinking now my freezer is probably contanminated from the bag that had the biscuits in it, sitting in there and touching everything in there. then i can't figure out a good way to disinfect the freezer cause i don't want to use chemicals near my food......
oh the rabbit hole. it's deep and wide isn't it?

[EKB]

thank you so much. i will give your link a try.
in the meantime, i began thinking now my freezer is probably contanminated from the bag that had the biscuits in it, sitting in there and touching everything in there. then i can't figure out a good way to disinfect the freezer cause i don't want to use chemicals near my food......

You're likely just fine if you practice safe food handling procedures. Wash hands, counters, cutting boards after handling uncooked food. Prep foods to be eaten raw separately to avoid cross contamination. The usual. Maybe when you get the chance do a good freezer clean out and defrost for peace of mind - but it's likely not needed. Plain old soap and water are sufficient to kill bacteria, even Listeria, on surfaces.


oh the rabbit hole. it's deep and wide isn't it?

Oh it is. I'm a frequent visitor down it myself. :)