United States: The largest recall of meat and poultry products has been broadened to nearly ten million pounds of food products suspected to contain listeria, U.S health officials said.
What more in the news
The latest recall noted that some products “were distributed to schools. A school distribution list is not available at this time.”
The first warning of product recall was made on October 9, involving almost 10 million pounds of meat and poultry products from the Oregon-based BrucePac. All of the meat involved in the recall was manufactured at its plant in Durant, Oklahoma.
Those newly recalled products included prepared salads, burritos, and other foods sold at Costco, Trader Joe’s, Target, Walmart, and Kroger, among others that were announced by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).
There have been no substantiated cases of people becoming ill that may be linked to the recall, authorities report, and a representative of the US CDC stated the agency has not begun an outbreak investigation, as AP News reported.
No illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the recall, officials said, and a spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the Associated Press that the agency has not launched an outbreak investigation.
More about the new recall
The new recall affects products made between May 31 and October 8. The USDA has provided a 342-page list of the hundreds of foods that might be impacted.
What caused the recall in the first place?
According to an FSIS statement, “The problem was discovered after FSIS performed routine product testing of the finished product containing [ready-to-eat] poultry products produced by BrucePac and confirmed those products positive for Listeria monocytogenes,” US News reported.
“Subsequent FSIS investigation identified BrucePac RTE chicken as the source,” it added.
The latest recall comes on the heels of stories this year involving a huge recall of Boar’s Head deli meats, including liverwurst, that was found to be laced with listeria.
Problems caused by the outbreak
Through September 26, 10 people have died, and 59 have been hospitalized due to consumption of products containing the contaminated Boar’s Head.
According to the CDC, “Listeria is especially harmful to people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems.”
“[The] CDC always recommends people at higher risk for listeriosis avoid eating meats sliced at the deli or heat them to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot before eating,” they added.