A recall involving nearly 10 million pounds of meat and chicken products over fears they may be contaminated with listeria has now expanded to store brands at some of the biggest grocery chains in the United States.
The recall, which initially targeted products under lesser-known labels, has quickly escalated to include major retail chains and familiar name brands such as Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Publix, H-E-B, Target, Meijer, Amazon Fresh, Aldi, Trader Joe’s and more.
The expanded recall comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service confirmed a listeria contamination at a BrucePac facility in Durant, Oklahoma, on Thursday. This contamination was detected in ready-to-eat chicken products, prompting a massive recall. BrucePac, an Oregon-based company, supplies meat and poultry products to various brands and retailers, many of which use the products in prepared foods.
What Products Are Included in the Recall?
By Sunday, the recall list expanded to include an extensive range of items, with a detailed 203-page PDF naming affected products. Most items are ready-to-eat salads with a “best by” date of October 13 or earlier, while some frozen foods—like those sold under the Great Value (Walmart), Boston Market, H-E-B and El Monterey brands—are also involved.
Newsweek reached out to the USDA via email on Monday for comment.
Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
How Dangerous Is Listeria?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States and is responsible for roughly 1,600 cases of food poisoning annually in the U.S. with around 260 fatalities. Symptoms of listeria infection can surface shortly after exposure or may take up to 10 weeks to appear, making it challenging to trace the source of contamination.
Signs and symptoms vary depending on the person and the site of the infection. In most cases, the bacteria stay within the gut and cause the stereotypical symptoms of food poisoning, such as diarrhea and vomiting. Usually, these symptoms start within 24 hours of eating contaminated food and last for one to three days.
Earlier this year, Boar’s Head deli meat products were voluntarily recalled due to listeria contamination. The incident resulted in 59 hospitalizations and 10 deaths.
Listeria Recall: Full List of Stores Affected
So far, no cases of illness have been reported in relation to these BrucePac products, but consumers who have anything that has been recalled are urged to return it to the store for a full refund. Read the full list of retail chains affected:
- Walmart: Marketside and Great Value.
- Kroger: Kroger store brand, which might also turn up in the chains owned by Kroger, such as Ralphs, Dillon’s and King Soopers.
- Publix: Publix Deli Chicken Street Taco Kit, best by dates of June 24 through October 16.
- Albertsons: Signature Select (this includes all the chains owned by Albertsons, including Safeway and Vons).
- Costco: Red’s Mini Burritos.
- Meijer: Meijer ready-to-eat salads
- Amazon Fresh: Amazon Fresh brand ready-to-eat and frozen dishes.
- Aldi: Little Salad Bar ready-to-eat salads and Fusia.
- Giant Eagle: Giant Eagle brand salads.
- Target: Good & Gather ready to eat salads and frozen meal.
- Trader Joe’s: Trader Joe’s ready-to-eat salads and frozen meals.
- Burrito 28: Chicken Quesadilla, Chicken Street Taco, Chicken Burrito Bowl, Green Chile Chicken Enchilada express meal kits
- Don Pancho’s: Chicken Quesadilla, Chicken Street Taco, Green Chile Chicken Enchilada express meal kits (posted to the FDA site).
- Dole: Ready-to-eat salads.
Among frozen foods, these stores are impacted:
- H-E-B: Three H-E-B frozen chicken meals.
- El Monterey: Chicken Enchilada meal, Spicy Chipotle Chicken Bowl and Chicken and Cheese Taquitos.
- Udi’s Gluten Free
- Atkins
- Boston Market
- Eat! Asian Style
- Gordon Choice
- Jenny Craig
- Michael Angelo’s
- Michelina’s
- Rao’s
- Whitson’s Culinary Group
