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Product List attached.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2002– Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation,
doing business as Wampler Foods Inc., a Franconia, Pa., establishment, is
voluntarily recalling approximately 27.4 million pounds of fresh and frozen
ready-to-eat turkey and chicken products that may be contaminated with
Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety
and Inspection Service announced today.
The products were produced between May 1 and Oct.
11. In addition, the establishment has voluntarily suspended operations.
The turkey and chicken products were distributed
to retail stores, restaurants and institutions nationwide.
"We want consumers to be aware of the recall
because of the potential for foodborne illness," said Dr. Garry L. McKee,
FSIS administrator. "Diners may also wish to ask if their meals contain the
recalled products."
Today’s recall, an expansion of the Oct. 9 recall
of 295,000 pounds of turkey and chicken products, is the result of FSIS’
continuing scientific investigation into the cause of illnesses, deaths and
miscarriages in the Northeast from Listeria monocytogenes.
The Oct. 9 recall was prompted by a product
sample taken by FSIS at the facility that tested positive for Listeria
monocytogenes. The strain found in the product does not match the strain
common to illness victims. FSIS continued its investigation by taking
additional product samples, as well as a large number of environmental
samples from multiple locations in the plant.
Results of the product sampling from various days
of production were all negative. However, environmental sampling
demonstrated the presence in the plant of the Listeria monocytogenes
strain matching the Oct. 9 recalled product.
FSIS has been working continuously since early
September with other federal and state public health agencies in an attempt
to discover the source of Listeria monocytogenes illnesses in the
Northeast.
As part of that effort, FSIS’ Microbial Outbreaks
and Special Projects Branch (MOSPB) laboratory in Athens, Ga., has conducted
more than 400 tests on products that the agency regulates. The environmental
samples were analyzed at the FSIS field lab in St. Louis, Mo.
In addition, more than 50 scientists at FSIS’
laboratories, regional epidemiologists, consumer safety officers, compliance
officers and personnel in the field and at USDA headquarters have been
dedicated to the investigation.
While the investigation into Listeria
monocytogenes illnesses continues, Dr. McKee commended the agencies that
have participated thus far in the effort, saying that their cooperation has
helped FSIS greatly.
"While I am very proud of our scientists and
investigators for their skill and dogged determination, I am also heartened
by the degree of cooperation FSIS has received from other public health
agencies," Dr. McKee said. "This investigation can be held up as a model for
how agencies should act in concert with one another to protect public
health."
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, HIV infection, or taking chemotherapy.
Anyone concerned about an illness should contact
a physician.
Consumers with questions about the recall may
contact the company’s consumer information recall hotline at (877) 260-7110.
Media with questions about the recall may contact Ray Atkinson, public
relations manager, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, at (540) 896-0406.
Consumers with other food safety questions can
phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The
hotline is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time), Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety
messages are available 24 hours a day.
The brand names
of the recalled products are attached. All of the products bear the
establishment code "P-1351" inside the USDA mark of inspection unless
otherwise noted.
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