We can all finally eat Vetkoeks with polony freely, since the listeria outbreak has been declared over.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi made the announcement on Monday, during a press briefing in Johannesburg.

According to TimesLive the outbreak led to more than 203 deaths. The vast majority were caused by the ST6 strain of listeria‚ which was found in Tiger Brands Polokwane’s processed meat factory.

Motsoaledi said it is not known how the bacteria ended up in the affected factory.

“Nobody‚ whether in government or in private sector‚ can say how it up ended in the factory. Tiger Brands has done every inspection and nobody has pinpointed how this listeria got in the [factory] this way‚” he said.

After months of inspection’s the minister said, “Now ready-to-eat processed meats can be safely consumed.”

He added that to prevent another outbreak of listeria‚ food safety laws have been updated and 900 health inspectors (environmental health inspectors) have been re-trained in taking samples from food factories.

Motsoaledi urged people to follow food-safety rules even though the outbreak was over. These include washing hands‚ keeping raw and cooked food separate‚ cooking food thoroughly‚ using safe water and storing food at safe temperatures.

People took to twitter to share their views;

TimesLive