FSIS Issues Alert On Chicken, Bacon Wraps Contaminated With Bacteria

The affected products were sold in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) building in Washington on July 21, 2007. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert on Tuesday for ready-to-eat chicken and bacon wrap products as these items “may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes” bacteria, the agency said in a May 13 statement.

The alert concerns two products sold under different brand names—“Big Y Quick Easy Meals Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap” and “Market 32 By Price Chopper Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap.” Both items were sold in 10 oz. clear plastic clamshell packages with May 7 “Sell By” dates and 25122 lot code.

“A recall was not requested because the affected products are no longer available for purchase,” FSIS said, adding that the problem of listeria contamination was discovered when a state public health agency alerted FSIS that a product sample tested positive.

“There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.”

The products were distributed in three states—Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.

The agency said it was concerned that some of the recalled items could be in consumers’ refrigerators. It asked buyers not to consume the items and to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

People who eat food contaminated with listeria may end up contracting listeriosis, a serious infection that mostly affects pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and individuals with weak immune systems.

“Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms,” said the agency.

“An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

“In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections can occur in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to Big Y and Price Chopper for comment.

Multiple food products have been recalled over the past weeks due to listeria fears.

In an announcement published by the Food and Drug Administration on May 11, California-based Fresh & Ready Foods LLC said it was withdrawing ready-to-eat sandwiches and snack items from the market due to possible listeria contamination.

The items were sold in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Washington.

Last month, North Carolina-based Blue Ridge Beef announced a recall of thousands of pounds of pet food, citing the presence of listeria and salmonella bacteria.

Listeria Outbreaks

The public health alert comes as the CDC is probing two listeria outbreaks.

The first is linked to frozen supplement shakes sold by Lyons Magnus LLC. The items were sold to long-term care facilities and food service operators. The company has already issued a recall for the affected products.

As of Feb. 24, the outbreak has resulted in 38 infections across 21 states, with 37 people hospitalized and 12 dying.

The second outbreak is linked to the Fresh & Ready Foods recall of its ready-to-eat sandwiches and snacks. There have been 10 infections in California and Nevada, with all of them hospitalized as of May 10. No deaths have so far been reported.

According to the CDC, “listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States.”

The agency estimates that 1,600 people are infected with listeria in the United States each year, with 260 individuals dying from the infection.

The infections and recalls come after the FSIS announced in December that “stronger measures” would be taken to protect Americans from listeria.

New policies included broader listeria species testing of all samples of ready-to-eat products, equipping agency inspectors with updated tools to improve recognition of “systemic food safety issues,” and tightening oversight of regulated establishments.

“These actions are intended to strengthen FSIS’ inspection and oversight by enhancing its ability to proactively identify and respond to the types of systemic problems that could lead to outbreaks,” the agency said.

“FSIS is continuing to identify other steps that would improve control of Listeria monocytogenes, dependent on funding availability.”