Listeria at Schwebel's poses no health risk

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The bacteria found in Schwebel Baking Co. on Tuesday has been confirmed not to be the type of listeria that poses a risk to public health, an independent, certified lab confirmed.

“Full production at the Youngstown facility is expected to resume within 24 hours,” Paul Schwebel, company president, said in a Wednesday press release. “We remain focused on consumer safety. That goal guides our current efforts to get our Youngstown bakery back online and will allow us to produce our full range of products for our loyal customers.”

Production at the bakery was halted Tuesday after an internal routine environmental sampling conducted by the company found the presence of an undetermined species of listeria in the Midlothian Boulevard facility.

Listeria is a naturally occurring bacteria that can be found in any place where there is an accumulation of moisture. Some forms can cause infections in young children, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems. Other forms are benign.

Schwebel’s reported those findings to the Food and Drug Administration and immediately initiated a voluntary withdrawal of all products shipped from the facility. Test results found the listeria discovered in the bakery poses no health threat to bakery workers or consumers.

Read more about the situation in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.