Conroy’s kabana and ham recalled because of difficulty verifying their safety

Kabana sausages and three types of ham made by Adelaide-based Conroy’s Smallgoods are being recalled because Primary Industries and Regions South Australia has been unable to verify their safety.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has issued a recall notice for Conroy’s 250-gram kabana with a use-by date of September 8, kabana in random weights with a use-by date of September 1, cooked half leg on the bone with a use-by date of August 25, and third ham on the bone and leg on the bone third half, both with a use-by date of August 10.

SA Health is advising people not to consume the products, sold at independent supermarkets and smallgoods stores in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

The agency has not received any reports of illness associated with the smallgoods.

People can throw out the products or seek a refund from where they bought it.

“PIRSA is currently investigating these particular products, because routine food safety checks have been unable to verify the safety of Conroy’s manufacturing processes for these ready-to-eat products,” SA Health said in a statement.

The FSANZ recall says the products may have “potential microbial contamination due to routine food safety checks being unable to verify the safety of the manufacturing process for these products”.

The acting director of SA Health’s food and controlled drugs branch, Joanne Cammans, said the most recent audit of Conroy’s records of production safety could not be found for the recalled products.

She said pregnant women and the elderly were most at risk if the pork products turned out to be contaminated.

“The main concern we have is listeria contamination of these products — again possibly they may not be contaminated in any way, but as a precaution, listeria can cause flu-like symptoms, so if people have eaten any ham products and are concerned, are feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms, they should seek medical advice,” she said.

A man died in 2005 after eating Conroy’s smallgoods contaminated with listeria.

The company was also convicted and fined for breaches of hygiene standards in 2013.

Conroy’s has been contacted for comment.