DURANT, Oklahoma – Meat producer BrucePac has expanded its recall to nearly 12 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products due to possible Listeria contamination. This update comes after the company initially recalled over 9 million pounds of products last week.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a statement on October 15, sharing details of the expanded recall. The update added 1.7 million pounds of products to the original recall and noted that some of these items had been distributed to U.S. schools.
“This recall release has also been updated to reflect that recalled products were also distributed to schools. A school distribution list is not available at this time,” the FSIS announcement read.
The affected products include prepared salads, burritos, and other ready-to-eat foods sold at major retailers such as Costco, Trader Joe’s, Target, Walmart, and Kroger.
BrucePac initially recalled approximately 9,986,245 pounds of meat and poultry items produced between June 19, 2024, and October 8, 2024, according to an FSIS announcement on October 9. The recall followed routine product testing by the FSIS, which detected Listeria monocytogenes in finished poultry products.
Further investigations identified BrucePac ready-to-eat chicken as the source of contamination. While there have been no confirmed reports of illnesses at this time, the FSIS urges consumers to remain cautious.
The recalled products bear the establishment numbers “51205 or P-51205” under the USDA mark of inspection. A full list of recalled items can be found on the FSIS website.
In an October 11 update, FSIS warned that some products may bear different establishment numbers due to further distribution and processing by other establishments. Consumers are encouraged to carefully check product labels.
Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by consuming food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms can appear one to four weeks after eating contaminated food, though they may present as early as the same day or as late as 70 days later.
Those most at risk include pregnant individuals, newborns, adults aged 65 and older, and those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and fatigue. Pregnant individuals are more likely to experience flu-like symptoms and fever, while the infection can lead to more severe complications such as invasive listeriosis in other populations.
To reduce the risk of listeriosis, the CDC advises at-risk individuals to avoid eating deli meats unless they are heated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot just before serving.
Anyone experiencing symptoms after consuming recalled products is urged to contact their healthcare provider.