Media Statement Meals on Wheels

Published on 27 February 2019

Media Statement

Please quote Monash Mayor Shane McCluskey

Monash Council was advised on 22 February by the Department of Health and Human Services that listeria has been detected in some products provided by our Meals on Wheels contractor.

Around 200 residents participate in the service every week, numbers vary on different days.

As a precautionary measure we asked all our Meals on Wheels participants to place any of the meals they may have stored or frozen in a rubbish bag.

We collected the bag from them and reimbursed them for the cost of the meals. When we knew of this incident we moved quickly to put alternative arrangements in place to ensure all our Meals on Wheels participants received new meals from another supplier.

We have called all our residents using the program to advise about this incident and also provided the residents with information on the symptoms associated with the listeria bacteria. These can be mistaken for the flu or a virus so anyone who experiences these symptoms should immediately seek medical advice through the doctor or by calling 000.

We know this is a worrying concern for our Meals on Wheels residents and their families and we will provide every support to them as the Department investigates what occurred. We will continue to provide information to our residents when we receive further advice from the Department.

Given recent information from the Department that the supplier will be closed for at least two weeks whilst they work to ensure their facility is safe for the production of meals, we will continue to provide alternative nutritional and high quality meals for our residents.

Media Contact: Jo Robertson 0418 391 979 or email Joanne.Robertson@monash.vic.gov.au