USDA is urging consumers to check fridges and freezers after the recall of 11 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats and poultry
Public health authorities are asking Americans to check their fridges and freezers after the recall of 11 million pounds of ready-to- eat meat and poultry.
BrucePac is in close touch with the USDA and working to ensure that all necessary actions are taken to ensure a safe food supply.
The source of listeria found in finished products was confirmed after an investigation, according to the FSIS.
The bacteria can cause a serious infection that is especially dangerous for people who are pregnant, over 65 or have weakened immune systems. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions linked to the products, it adds.
The products have been distributed to schools, and the USDA will post a school distribution list on its website once one is available.
The company said that because they sell to other companies who resell, repackage or use their products in other foods, they do not have a list of retail products that contain their recalled items.
The stores that carry them include Aldi, Amazon Fresh, Giant Eagle, H-E-B, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Wegmans and 7-Eleven.
USDA warns against listeria outbreaks in Virginia during May-Oct 8 public events with a toll-free hotline accessing the public information
The affected goods were produced between May 31 and Oct, 8 and bear the establishment numbers “51205” or “P-51205” either inside or underneath the USDA mark of inspection. BrucePac warned that the number is only on packages that it ships directly to customers.
The USDA maintains a list of recalled products and encourages people to use the search function to look up individual products and stores and dispose of any they have at home.
Authorities say they are also “concerned that some product may be available for use in restaurants, institutions, schools and other establishments” and are urging them to throw the goods out immediately.
It says consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 or email [email protected], and can report complaints about any meat, poultry or egg products online.
Eating food contaminated with listeria can cause listeriosis, an invasive infection that spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract and must be treated with antibiotics.
The infection can be fatal in older adults and people with weakened immune systems, and can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery in pregnant women as well as life-threatening infections in their newborns.
The USDA says anyone in the higher-risk categories who experiences flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell their health care provider about the food.
There were 59 hospitalizations and 10 deaths across 19 states this summer when an outbreak of the Listeria monocytogenes was linked to deli meat. The USDA has opened a probe into its handling of prior safety violations at the Virginia plant.
