Listeria recall expands to 12 million pounds of meat and poultry sold at Trader Joe’s, Target and others

Meat producer BrucePac is recalling nearly 12 million pounds of meat and poultry products sold at Trader Joe’s, Target, Walmart, Costco, Kroger and other companies because they might be contaminated with listeria.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the sweeping recall on Oct. 9 and expanded it this week to add more products. The updated list contains items that were produced from May 31 to Oct. 8 and distributed to grocery stores, big-box chains, restaurants and other businesses around the country.

On Thursday, the department also published a preliminary list of schools that received recalled BrucePac-produced ready-to-eat meat and poultry; none of the affected locations is in California.

The recall was initiated after government inspectors performed routine testing of products containing poultry produced by BrucePac at its Durant, Okla., facility, and found them to be positive for listeria. Additional investigation identified BrucePac’s ready-to-eat chicken as the source of the bacteria.

There have been no confirmed reports of people becoming sick from consuming the products, which should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

What are some of the recalled products?

The affected products include prepackaged salads, chicken wraps and bowls, and frozen entrees from brands such as Michelina’s and Rao’s.

Target is recalling its Good & Gather salads and other products. At Trader Joe’s, the recall includes its White Meat Chicken Salad, Harvest Salad With Grilled Chicken, Pacific Salad With Chicken, Chicken Enchiladas Verde and Curried White Chicken Deli Salad.

To see the USDA’s full 348-page list of affected products and their food labels, click here.

The agency said products subject to the recall have the establishment numbers 51205 or P-51205 inside or under the USDA mark of inspection. But BrucePac on Friday noted that those numbers are found only on the packages shipped directly to its customers; consumers will not find them on their retail packages.

What is listeria and why is it dangerous?

Consumption of food contaminated with the bacteria can lead to listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects adults 65 and older, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and newborns, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Others can be infected with listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.

Listeria can cause invasive illness and intestinal illness, the agency said. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal issues.

What is BrucePac?

Founded in 1949, family-owned BrucePac produces precooked proteins that it sells to other companies, which repackage or use the products as ingredients in other foods.

The company operates two USDA processing facilities — in Durant, Okla., and Woodburn, Ore., where it is based — that have the capacity to process millions of pounds of meat and poultry per week.

“We are working closely with USDA to ensure that all necessary actions are taken to ensure a safe food supply,” BrucePac said in a statement. “We will not resume production until we are confident the issue has been resolved.”

Wasn’t there another big recall tied to listeria this year?

The BrucePac recall follows a massive recall of more than 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products by deli meat company Boar’s Head in July, also due to listeria contamination.

As a result of the multistate outbreak, which sickened dozens of people and was linked to 10 deaths, Boar’s Head permanently discontinued its liverwurst product and shut down its Jarratt, Va., facility.

What should I do if I suspect I ate contaminated food?

Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider. People in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the provider about eating the recalled products.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (888) MPHotline or email MPHotline@usda.gov.