Sheila Weatherill, Independent Investigator, Listeriosis Investigation, Ottawa, Ont., writes in this letter to the editor, Help us to help you! Give me your views on listeriosis. Last summer Canadians began asking themselves whether their food was safe. Even though few had heard of it before, the term "listeriosis" became a household word.

A mixture of some organic acids and some extracts from plants turns out to be enough to greatly reduce pathogenic bacteria on chicken breast meat. Add some irradiation to the mix and it makes a lethal combination against the bacteria.

Between 2000 and 2005, 717 samples of three types of salads were analysed for Listeria monocytogenes in Santiago, Chile in order to provide information to Chilean health authorities on the presence of the pathogen in vegetable salad samples and to ascertain the risk of these products for consumers. L.

Most Canadians don't trust industry to ensure the food that they consume is safe and want the government to be more hands-on in the policing of food companies, according to results of a national survey.