Walmart, Trader Joe's, others recall meat products due to listeria

Oct 16, 2024

Hundreds of products sold in the nation’s top grocery chains, including Walmart (WMT), Kroger (KR), 7-Eleven (SVNDY), and Trader Joe’s, have been recalled over concerns of listeria contamination.

BrucePac, an Oklahoma-based producer of precooked meat, last week recalled nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. The recall came after routine testing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) found that some BrucePac products tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause serious infections.

An FSIS investigation later identified BrucePac ready-to-eat chicken as the source of the Listeria monocytogenes. In response, the company recalled ready-to-eat meat and poultry items that were produced from June 19 to Oct. 8. The recalled products are marked with establishment numbers 51205 or P-51205 inside or under the USDA mark of inspection.

A full list of the dozens of the affected brands available nationwide can be found here. The products include salads, pastas, bowls, and wraps.

At this time, there have been no reports of illness connected with the recall.

Additionally, FSIS is concerned that some of the recalled products may have been used by restaurants and other establishments and that these other businesses may have used affected meat and poultry in their own ready-to-eat products and may still be on store shelves.

In a separate recall, Oregon-based Reser’s Fine Foods voluntarily pulled some of its meal kits because they were made with chicken supplied by BrucePac, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“We are committed to providing safe, high-quality products. We are working closely with USDA to ensure that all necessary actions are taken to ensure a safe food supply. We will not resume production until we are confident the issue has been resolved,” BrucePac said in a statement posted on their website.

These recalls come just months after Boar’s Head Provisions Co., a deli meat supplier based in Virginia, issued a recall of several deli meat products in late July after they were linked to a multistate listeria outbreak. The recall grew to include millions of pounds of affected products, and Boar’s Head went as far as to shut down a facility with numerous violations. At least 10 people have died in connection with the outbreak, and dozens more required hospitalizations.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious listeriosis infections in young children, elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems. The FDA warned that listeria infections could cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Even among healthy people, a listeria infection can lead to symptoms including high fever, headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

An estimated 1,600 people in the U.S. get listeriosis every year, with about 260 annual fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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