South Africa is on the heels of the worst outbreak of listeria in global history. Listeria infection is a food-borne bacterial illness commonly contracted by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products. The illness can be fatal for people with impaired immune systems and pregnant women; it can result in stillbirths.
In South Africa, the outbreak infected almost 1,000 people and resulted in at at least 180 deaths. The country’s Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, announced on Sunday that the source of the outbreak was polony from an Enterprise Foods factory in Polokwane‚ Limpopo. He cautioned all South Africans to “avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready to eat,” and advised pregnant women to avoid any processed meat “like the plague”.
As South African turns from processed meat, it is worth considering other protein sources. The 5 meat substitutes below are great sources of protein and have the texture and taste to get many meat-lovers buy-in.
