Pre-cooked meats manufacturer BrucePac has recalled over 11 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry due to an outbreak of listeria—just months after Boar’s Head deli meats were recalled for contamination with the same pathogen in July.
The Oct. 9 recall encompasses a broad range of pre-cooked proteins that were distributed to numerous national retailers, including Aldi, Amazon Fresh, Giant Eagle, H-E-B, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Wegmans, and 7-Eleven.
What is Listeria?
Listeriosis is a severe foodborne bacterial infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes. It poses significant health risks, and particularly to pregnant women, newborns, persons over the age of 65, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
Symptoms of listeriosis are varied but can include fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea, a stiff neck, loss of balance, and convulsions.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these symptoms might appear a few days after consuming tainted food, though sometimes they may not manifest for 30 days or more.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) advises anyone from these high-risk groups who experiences flu-like symptoms within two months of consuming potentially contaminated food to seek immediate medical attention and to inform their health care provider about their exposure to the bacteria.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that listeria infection ranks as the third leading cause of death from foodborne illnesses in the United States, with approximately 1,600 infections and 260 deaths annually.
Nationwide Recall
Recent months have seen several recalls due to listeria concerns, including an outbreak associated with Boar’s Head deli meat that resulted in 59 hospitalizations and 10 fatalities across 19 states this summer.
The USDA is managing a comprehensive list of recalled products due to listeria concerns, which has grown to 372 pages as of Oct. 20. The USDA is urging consumers to check for specific products, stores, and brands on its website and, if any recalled items are found at home, the Department advises consumers to discard them immediately or to return them to their store of origin.
Here’s the current status of some listeria-related recalls affecting popular brands nationwide:
TreeHouse Foods
Recall Date: Oct. 18
Affected Products: Various brands of frozen waffles
Affected Persons: No reported illnesses
Origin: Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Current Status: Ongoing
Enoki King Mushroom Farm
Recall Date: Oct. 11
Affected Products: 5.3 oz packages of Enoki mushrooms
Affected Persons: No reported infections
Origin: Ventura, California
Current Status: Ongoing
BrucePac
Recall Date: Oct. 9
Affected Products: 11.8 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry
Affected Persons: No reported illnesses
Origin: Durant, Oklahoma
Current Status: Ongoing. Updates available at FSIS.gov.
ANSWERS Pet Food
Recall Date: Sept. 26
Affected Products: ANSWERS brand dog food
Affected Persons: No reported illnesses
Origin: Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Current Status: Ongoing
Boar’s Head
Recall Date: July 19
Affected Products: 7.2 million pounds of liverwurst and other deli meats
Affected Persons: 59 hospitalized, 10 fatalities
Origin: Jarratt, Virginia
Current Status: Jarratt facility closed, liverwurst discontinued. Investigation ongoing.