A nationwide recall of meat and poultry products potentially contaminated with listeria expanded to nearly 12 million pounds this week and now includes ready-to-eat meals sent to U.S. schools, restaurants and major retailers, federal officials said.
An infection caused by listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States.
The updated recall includes prepared salads, burritos and other foods sold at stores including Costco, Trader Joe’s, Target, Walmart and Kroger.
The meat used in those products was processed at a Durant, Oklahoma, manufacturing plant operated by BrucePac. The Woodburn, Oregon-based company sells precooked meat and poultry to industrial, foodservice and retail companies across the country.
Possible contamination was discovered after the Food Safety and Inspection Service performed routine testing of products containing ready-to-eat poultry produced by BrucePac. The products tested positive for listeria monocytogenes.
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The FSIS carried out more testing that identified BrucePac Ready-To-Eat chicken as the source of the listeria monocytogenes, according to the USDA.
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can be found in soil, water, decaying vegetation and animals, the Food and Drug Administration said.
No illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the recall, USDA officials said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not launched an outbreak investigation, a spokesperson said.
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