WASHINGTON, Oct.
12, 2000–Lay Packing Company, Inc., a Knoxville, Tenn., firm, is
voluntarily recalling an additional 850,000 pounds of wiener, hot dog, and
frank products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service
announced today. Today’s action is an expansion of an Oct.
3 recall of 48,000 pounds of wiener products.
The following
brand wiener, hot dog, and frank products in 12- to 24-ounce packages are
subject to Safety Recalls,
- "DINNER DELIGHTS"
- "JUBILEE HOT DOGS "
- "FROSTY MORN"
- Lay’s "WIENERS"
- Lay’s "quik starts"
- Lay’s "Thrift"
- "Madison"
- "WD"
- Lay Packing Company "CIRCLE
L"
All products with
a "Sell By" code of "Dec 08" or before stamped on the
package are being recalled. The product packages also bear the Lay Packing
establishment number "EST.967" or "P-967." The
establishment number may appear on the side of the package or inside the
USDA seal of inspection.
The wiener
products were produced on various dates, and distributed to retail stores
in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
"Because of
the potential for foodborne illness, we urge consumers not to eat the
wiener, hot dog, and frank products but return them to the point of
purchase," said Thomas J. Billy, FSIS administrator.
The problem was
discovered as a result of follow-up sampling at the retail level by the
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Food and
Drug Protection Division.
Consumption of
food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause
listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people
rarely contract listeriosis. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe
headache, neck stiffness, and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause
miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal
infections in those with weak immune systems--infants, the frail or
elderly, and persons with chronic disease, with HIV infection, or taking
chemotherapy.
FSIS has received
no reports of illness associated with consumption of this product. Anyone
concerned about an illness should contact a physician.
Consumers with
questions about the recall may contact Ferril Maddox, sales manager, Lay
Packing Company, Inc., at (865) 546-2511. Media with questions may contact
Joe Lay, president, Lay Packing Company, Inc., at the same number.
Consumers with
food safety questions can phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry
Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The hotline can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday, and recorded food safety
messages are available 24 hours a day.
#
NOTE: Access news releases and other
information at the FSIS Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov |
LISTERIA PRECAUTIONS
People at risk for
listeriosis and their family members or individuals preparing food for them should:
Reheat until steaming hot the following
types of ready-to-eat foods: hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented and dry
sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry products. Thoroughly reheating food can
help kill any bacteria that might be present. If you cannot reheat these foods, do not eat
them.
Wash hands with hot, soapy water after
handling these types of ready-to-eat foods. (Wash for at least 20 seconds.) Also wash
cutting boards, dishes, and utensils. Thorough washing helps eliminate any bacteria that
might get on your hands or other surfaces from food before it is reheated.
Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie,
Camembert, blue-veined or Mexican-style cheese. You can eat hard cheeses, processed
cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt.
Do not drink raw, unpasteurized milk or eat
foods made from it, such as unpasteurized cheese.
Observe all expiration dates for
perishable items that are precooked or ready-to-eat. |