WASHINGTON, Dec.14--Cargill Turkey Products is voluntarily
recalling approximately 16.7 million pounds of ready-to-eat turkey and
chicken products, produced at its facility in Waco, Texas, that may be
contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.
The products subject to recall were distributed to retail
establishments, restaurants, and institutions nationwide and exported to
Venezuela and Iceland. The products subject to recall were produced from
May 1 to December 11 and are marked with the establishment number
"P-635."
The sliced products that consumers may have purchased at retail are:
- Owen’s Hickory Smoked Pre-Sliced Turkey Breast, fresh
- Plantation
- Fiesta Pre-Sliced Turkey Breast, fresh
- Mesquite Smoked Pre-Sliced Turkey Breast, fresh and frozen
- Pre-Sliced Smoke Banquet-style Turkey Breast, fresh and frozen
- Black Forest Turkey Ham, fresh
- Pre-Sliced Turkey Pastrami, fresh and frozen
- Pre-Sliced Star Turkey Breast
- Riverside
- Pre-Sliced Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast, fresh and frozen
- Pre-Sliced Oven Prepared Turkey Breast, frozen
- Honeysuckle White Pre-Sliced Oven Prepared Turkey, fresh and frozen
Unsliced products include:
- Dine Rite Picnic Dark Turkey, fresh and frozen
- Old South Turkey Ham, fresh
- Plantation Cajun Fried Turkey, frozen
- Honeysuckle White Cajun-Style Fried Whole Turkey, frozen
The following products may have been distributed at deli counters,
restaurants or institutions:
- Boar’s Head
- Our Premium Low Salt Turkey, frozen
- Golden Catering Skin-on Turkey Breast, fresh
- Carmel Colored Our Premium Turkey Breast, fresh
- Our Premium Low Salt Skinless Turkey Breast, fresh
- Smoked Turkey Breast, fresh
- Oil Browned Chicken Breast, fresh
- Oven Prepared Skinless Turkey Breast, fresh
- Smoked Chicken Breast, fresh.
Other products were sold in bulk and would not be labeled at the point
of purchase.
"Because of the potential for foodborne illness, we urge consumers
to check to see if they have purchased any of these products," 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. Consumers may also wish to ask delis and restaurants if
purchased products are subject to the recall."
The problem was discovered through illnesses identified by state health
departments and reported to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. FSIS and the CDC are currently studying these illnesses. While
the study is ongoing, Cargill is recalling the products based on a
preliminary analysis of epidemiological data. Anyone concerned about an
illness should contact a physician.
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.
Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Cargill Turkey
Products at (888) 621- 2717, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Information is also available on the company’s website at http://www.plantation-foods.com.
Media with questions may contact Mark Klein, Cargill communication
manager, at (254) 412-3478. Media with questions about illnesses can
contact the CDC press office at (404) 639-3286.
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.
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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. |