Four pregnant women hit by listeria in VEGAN cheese... causing premature births ... trends now
At least six pregnant women contracted a deadly infection after eating vegan cheese contaminated with listeria, scientists say — while another person suffered from brain damage.
Four of the women went into early labor, a fifth became septic and an infection in a sixth expectant mother spread to her unborn child and caused brain inflammation.
Investigators in France revealed the outbreak, warning it suggested alternative vegan products may not be safer than dairy staples.
Lactose-free products are often considered safer and healthier because they do not contain dairy, which can be contaminated with dangerous bacteria and microbes.
But the investigators warned the products had not gone through processes like pasteurization, which would normally kill off any dangerous microbes.
Six pregnant women were affected in the multi-country listeria outbreak in Europe (stock)
Listeria outbreaks by year in the US, as shown in this chart from the CDC
The cases were revealed in a letter submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine.
The scientists, from France's Institut Pasteur, wrote: 'This outbreak highlights the lack of data on the contamination of [vegan] products by foodborne pathogens, and the need for manufacturers of vegan cheese substitutes to consider this risk in their production processes, as with any other ready-to-eat product.'
Investigators eventually traced the listeria back to the vegan cheese brand Jay and Joy — which is not available in the US. The cheeses were sold in 1,900 stores across the country.
Cases were also detected in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands — with a Europe-wide alert issued over the contamination.
It is believed to be the first time vegan cheeses have been linked to listeria, with investigators saying it may have been because the products used raw nut milk.
Nuts can become contaminated
