The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) last week announced the recall of nearly 11 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products distributed to stores across the county by from Oklahoma-based BrucePac. The recall came after the products tested positive for L. monocytogenes, the bacteria that can sometimes cause life-threatening listeriosis disease. The recall impacts stores across Washington state.
Although there have been no confirmed reports of illness associated with the recalled products, the FSIS yesterday released a list of all stores that carry potentially contaminated products. I Washington, that list includes gas station delis, minimarts, Safeway and IGA stores, and other distributors. The Seattle Times reported on Monday that the Washington Department of Health (DOH) has been contacting Washington grocers and some, including Costco, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Walmart, Albertsons, and Amazon Fresh, say they have pulled impacted products from their shelves. Click here to find what Washington stores are on the FSIS list of retailers that may have received recalled products:
Which products have been recalled
The products were produced from June 19, 2024, to October 8, 2024, and shipped to BrucePac’s other establishments and distributors nationwide, where they were then distributed to restaurants and institutions. Much of the recalled meat was put in refrigerated ready-to-eat salads, but the products are also found in re-heatable meals, from pasta dishes to chicken chow mien.
From the FSIS BrucePac recalled product list.
The full list of all potentially contaminated products can be found here. FSIS urges families to throw away or return any products on the potentially affected products list to the store where they were purchased.
Here are the symptoms of listeriosis provided by the FSIS:
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 urges families to thrown away or return any products on potentially affect products list to store where they were purchased.
From the FSIS BrucePac recalled products list
Washington DOH offers this further information about listeriosis
What is listeria? Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. There are about ten to 25 cases of listeriosis reported each year in Washington.
Who gets listeria: Anyone can get it. About 30-50 percent of newborns and 35 percent of nonpregnant adults with serious infections die from listeriosis.
How soon after infection do symptoms appear? Symptoms can appear from three to 70 days after exposure. About half of infected people have symptoms within three weeks.
How is listeriosis diagnosed? Serious infections with listeriosis are diagnosed by testing a sample taken from body tissues, such as blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
How is listeriosis treated? Antibiotics. If you believe you have been made ill by a recalled product or have the symptoms of listeriosis contact your medical provider.
What can I do to prevent listeriosis? Here are the general recommendations
- Avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk.
- Thoroughly cook raw meat, such as beef, pork, or poultry.
- Wash raw vegetables thoroughly before eating.
- Keep uncooked meats separate from vegetables and from cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods.
- Wash hands, knives, and cutting boards after handling uncooked foods.
- Eat perishable and ready-to-eat foods as soon as possible.
For those at high risk
Those at high risk of serious Listeriosis illness, including pregnant women, elderly adults, and persons with weakened immune systems, should avoid the the following foods:
- All soft cheeses (including Mexican-style cheeses such as queso blanco, queso fresco, and Panela, blue cheeses, Brie, Camembert and feta) unless their label states they are made from pasteurized milk.
- Hot dogs, lunch meats or deli meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
- Refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads. It is safe to eat canned or shelf-stable* pâtés and meat spreads.
- Refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is in a cooked dish, such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna or mackerel, is most often labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” “smoked,” or “jerky”. The fish is found in the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. It is safe to eat canned or shelf-stable* smoked seafood.
- Leftover foods or ready-to-eat foods from delicatessen counters, unless heated/reheated to steaming hot before eating.
- Avoid getting fluid from hot dog packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces. Wash your hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
NOTE: “Shelf-stable” refers to a food that is typically refrigerated but has been altered to be safely stored in a sealed container at room temperature (e.g., vacuum sealing, irradiation, freeze drying).
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