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Ready-to-eat meat, poultry recall expanded to include other brands; Listeria contamination at issue

A recall of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products from an Oklahoma company has been expanded to include other brands that could contain the specific meat and poultry being recalled.
USDA
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WGCU
A recall of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products from an Oklahoma company has been expanded to include other brands that could contain the specific meat and poultry being recalled.

The recall of nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products for possible Listeria contamination has been expanded to include information that some of the recalled products could have different numbering IDs due to further distribution and processing .

The expanded recall includes some ready-to-eat foods under the brands Michael Angelo’s, Rao’s, Marketside salads with chicken, Trader Joe’s salad with chicken, Dole Fresh salads with Chicken and several other brands. Check here for the full photographic listing of foods involved and numbers associated with those foods.

The USDA has not yet listed the retail distribution of the added products. However, Trader Joe's products are sold at Trader Joe's outlets, Rao's products are sold at a wide variety of retail outlets across the United States and Marketside salads are a Walmart brand available at any of the company's stores.

The recall, by BrucePac, a Durant, Okla. establishment, was announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, and involves approximately 9,986,245 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The ready-to-eat meat and poultry items were produced from June 19, 2024, to October 8, 2024. These products were shipped to other establishments and distributors nationwide then distributed to restaurants and institutions. Information regarding product labels and the list of products will be provided when available.

The products subject to recall bear establishment numbers "51205 or P-51205" inside or under the USDA mark of inspection.

The problem was discovered after FSIS performed routine product testing of finished product containing RTE poultry products produced by BrucePac and confirmed those products positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Subsequent FSIS investigation identified BrucePac RTE chicken as the source of the Listeria monocytogenes.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be available for use in restaurants, institutions, and other establishments. These other establishments may have used affected meat and poultry in RTE products that may be on store shelves or in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Restaurants, institutions, and other establishments are urged not to serve or use these products. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact Jeff Golangco, VP Business Development at BrucePac, at 503-874-3000.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.

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