Listeriosis outbreak will not lead to job losses for now.

                                

 The outbreak and subsequent spreading of listeriosis contamination from certain meat processing plants in South Africa will likely not lead to job losses in the short term, Dawie Maree, head of marketing and information at FNB Business Agriculture, told Fin24 on Monday.

 "At a manufacturing plant most of the jobs are probably permanent and the company should have business contingency plans. In the short term, workers might not go to work, but will probably still receive pay. Companies usually also have insurance for this kind of outbreak," he said.

"However, if they end up having to close the factory all together, that will have an impact. I am not a food scientist, but I don't think this will end up happening. They will probably sterilise the processing facility, keep it under observation, slowly start production again and monitor it."

On the other hand, Maree thinks the huge recall of different products will likely have an impact on the profits of the specific companies involved.

"I don't think it will have a huge impact on SA's gross domestic product (GDP), but rather make a direct impact on the profits of these companies," he said.

Consumers' trust has been damaged. They will think twice before buying processed meat perhaps. We might even see an uptick in demand for fresh meat types. Maybe there will be a switch from processed food to fresh options, but the consumer will have to make that decision. Most of these companies are reputable and will win the consumers' trust back, but it will take some time.