Almost 10 Million Pounds Of Ready-To-Eat Chicken Products Recalled Over Listeria Concerns
You might want to check your fridge and freezer, because nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat poultry and meat products have just been recalled due to listeria concerns. The affected prepared chicken products come from BrucePac, which operates out of Durant, Oklahoma. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the recall on October 9, 2024. The affected products were produced between June 19, 2024 and October 8, 2024 and may be contaminated with a bacteria known as Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause serious illness. Full information regarding the recall will be released as the situation progresses. For now, you can identify impacted products by the establishment number, located beneath the USDA inspection mark. The affected establishment numbers are 51205 and P-51205. These chicken products were potentially served in restaurant settings, and sold in grocery stores. If you are concerned as to whether you have contaminated products, you can call the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline, at the number 888-674-6854 or visit the USDA website for more information.
The dangers of listeria
This news follows the recent reclassification of an egg recall to a Class 1 recall, the highest risk of all categories, due to salmonella risk, and a recent deli meat recall also due to listeria. So far, there have been no confirmed cases of illness linked to the BrucePac recall. The bacteria, known as Listeria monocytogenes, can cause serious illness and even death in some cases. Listeria is most dangerous for the elderly, pregnant people, and those who have compromised immune systems. Symptoms of listeriosis include typical food poisoning symptoms such as digestive upset, fever, and muscle pain. In some cases, however, listeria infection can spread to the nervous system and cause more severe illness involving neurological symptoms. For pregnant people, listeria is not usually fatal or even severe, however it can be potentially fatal for the child they are carrying, or for newborns.