WASHINGTON, July 17, 2000--Home
Made Brand Foods, a Newburyport, Mass., firm, is voluntarily recalling
approximately 3,300 pounds of chicken salad that may be contaminated with Listeria
monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and
Inspection Service announced today.
The product subject to recall is chicken
salad in five and ten-pound containers. All package labels bear Home Made
Brand Foods’ establishment number, P-8865, inside the USDA seal of
inspection. The products being recalled are listed below.
"HOME MADE BRAND"
- "AMERICAN CHICKEN SALAD" with
a sell by date of "8/4"
- "BICKFORDS WHITE CHICKEN
SALAD" with a sell by date of "8/4"
- "CLASSIC CHICKEN SALAD" with
a sell by date of "8/2"
- "‘ON A ROLL’ CHICKEN
SALAD" with a Sell by date of "8/2"
- "SUPREME WHITE CHICKEN SALAD"
with a sell by date of "7/24"
"weis quality" brand
- "CHICKEN SALAD" with a sell
by date of "8/4"
"Hidden Harbor Salad" brand
- "Chicken Salad"
with a sell by date of "8/4"
The chicken salad was produced on July 10
and distributed to wholesale and retail establishments in Connecticut,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, and Vermont.
"We want consumers to be aware of the
recall, and we urge them to check their refrigerators," said Thomas
J. Billy, FSIS administrator. "If they find the recalled products,
consumers should not eat them, but return them to the point of
purchase."
The problem was discovered through routine
FSIS microbiological sampling.
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 and media with questions about
the recall may contact Richard Walters, president, Home Made Brand Foods
Co., Inc., at (978) 462-3663.
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.
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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. |