Poultry Shipped To CA, Nationwide Recalled Over Listeria

Some 135,810 pounds of poultry shipped nationwide to hotels, restaurants and institutions that may include public schools and hospitals, are under recall because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Tuesday.

The fully cooked poultry is being recalled by U.S. Tip Top Poultry, Inc., of Rockmart, Georgia. The frozen, diced and mechanically separated ready-to-eat chicken was produced on Jan. 21, 2019 and has "PACK DATE 01/21/19" on the labels.

The problem was discovered Aug. 17 when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency notified its U.S. counterparts at the FSIS that a sample of the product from Tip Top Poultry, Inc. confirmed positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, according to FSIS Spokesman Benjamin A. Bell.

When Canadian officials collected and tested the ready-to-eat, diced chicken product as part of an ongoing investigation, it tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, Bell said.

"FSIS is concerned that some product may be in institutional freezers," Bell said. "Institutions who have purchased these products are urged not to serve them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase."

According to Bell, this recall is Class I, meaning it is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.

The products subject to recall are packaged as Tip Top, Perdue, Gordon, Sysco and West Creek, and have the establishment number "P-17453" inside the USDA mark of inspection or on the case. U.S. officials have also posted the product labels online.

According to U.S. officials, 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."

Complete information about the recall is posted at USDA.gov.