Ready To Eat Chicken Breasts Recalled Due To Suspected Listeria Contamination

A South Carolina food firm is voluntarily recalling over 52,000 pounds of cooked chicken breasts because they could be contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.

The announcement was made on Monday by the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) who class the recall as Class I with a High health risk.

The South Carolina food manufacturer Carolina Culinary Foods, based in West Columbia SC announced that it was recalling the following product that it makes for Oscar Mayer:

- 6-ounce packages of "OSCAR MAYER/LOUIS RICH CHICKEN BREAST STRIPS WITH RIB MEAT, GRILLED, FULLY COOKED - READY TO EAT".
- The front of each package shows the establishment number "P-19676" inside the USDA mark of inspection.
- The back of each package shows a "Use by" date of "19 Apr 2007."
- The code "19 APR 2007" appears on each case.
- The chicken breast strips were made on 9th January 2007 before being distributed to retailers nationwide.

The Listeria contamination was discovered through routine testing at the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

As yet there have been no reports of illnesses from eating the product.

Eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can lead to listeriosis, a potentially fatal disease that rarely affects healthy people.

Listeriosis is a bacterial infection that strikes between 4 and 5 people in a million.

Symptoms include high temperature and fever, severe headaches, nausea and stiffness in the neck.

It can also cause stillbirths and miscarriages.

The people most at risk are those with weak immune systems, such as the elderly, very young and newborn babies, people with cancer going through chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and people infected with HIV.

If you are at risk of the infection, the USDA recommend you take the following precautions:

- Wash hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after touching poultry or any raw meat.
- Wash cutting boards, utensils and dishes with warm soapy water.
- Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry and egg based products from other foods, especially if already cooked.
- Clean up spills and splashes immediately.
- Keep fish, poultry and raw meat away from any food that is not going to be cooked (eg salads).
- Use precooked or ready to eat food as soon as possible.

Listeria can grow in the refrigerator, which should be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Centigrade or Celsius). Your freezer should be at 0 (zero) degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Centigrade or Celsius).

Also, if you are risk of Listeriosis you should not eat or drink the following products, without observing the given precaution:

- Hot dogs, luncheon meats, or any deli meats unless they have been heated until steaming hot.
- Meat spreads from a meat counter, refrigerated pГўtГ©, or smoked seafood located in the refrigerated section of the food store.
- Salads made in-store such as ham, chicken, egg, tuna or seafood salad.
- Raw or unpasteurized milk, or foods that contain it.
- Soft cheese like Feta, queso blanco, queso fresco, blue-veined, Camembert, Brie, or Panela, unless the label says it was made from pasteurized milk.

Listeria is one of many food-borne pathogens which as well as other bacteria includes viruses, prions and parasites. In the vast majority of cases improper handling, preparation or storage is the cause of the contamination.

More Information

Consumers who want more information about the Oscar Mayer recall should contact Kraft Consumer Response at 800-871-7117.

Click here to "Ask Karen" for further food safety information from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Or telephone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854, 10 am - 4 pm, Mon - Fri).

Click here for Open Directory Food and Water Borne Diseases Category

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today