The US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that BrucePac is recalling approximately 9,986,245 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The ready-to-eat meat and poultry items were produced from Wednesday, June 19, to Tuesday, Oct. 8.
They were shipped to other establishments and distributors nationwide and then distributed to restaurants and institutions.
The products subject to recall bear establishment numbers "51205 or P-51205" inside or under the USDA mark of inspection.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 9, FSIS released the list of specific products that are part of the recall. View the list by visiting the USDA website here.
The problem was discovered after FSIS performed routine product testing of finished products containing RTE poultry products produced by BrucePac, headquartered in Oklahoma, and confirmed those products were positive for Listeria.
Subsequent FSIS investigation identified BrucePac RTE chicken as the source of the Listeria monocytogenes.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.
The new recall comes after a Listeria outbreak began in mid-May involving Boar's Head deli meat.
Since the bacteria was first discovered in liverwurst produced at Boar's Head's plant in Jarratt, Virginia, 59 people have been sickened in 19 states, with 10 fatalities in the following states: New York (two), South Carolina (two), and one each in New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, and New Mexico.
On Friday, Sept. 13. the company shut down the plant.
After an initial recall of around 200,000 pounds of deli meat, Boar's Head expanded it to approximately seven million additional pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products on Tuesday, July 30.
Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or email their questions to MPHotline@usda.gov.
Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Wilmington and receive free news updates.