New Listeria Outbreak Causes Recall of Over 300 Prepackaged Meals

The latest listeria outbreak recalls over ten million pounds of meat and poultry from popular grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s, Target, and Walmart.

After an outbreak of listeria linked to deli meat worried Americans earlier this summer, another outbreak has been reported. This past week, the second round of listeria outbreaks focused on meats and poultry. Popular items such as prepackaged salads and frozen meals containing chicken are just some of the items impactful to one’s health.

BrucePac, the meat producer behind delivering quality meats to top grocery stores such as Kroger, Target, and Trader Joe’s is recalling over ten million pounds of meat and poultry because they might be contaminated with listeria. Other retailers include Walmart and 7-Eleven’s array of quick grab-and-go meals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the recall last week with over a hundred items tainted. A majority of the items were ready-to-eat and distributed to grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses around the country.

In addition, all of the items were produced from June 19 to October 8, a span of almost four months. Listeria is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, a foodborne illness that can be fatal to both pregnant women and older adults. Those with a weakened immune system are susceptible to the virus as well, an infection causing fever, chills, and severe stomach issues. Listeria bacteria are most commonly found in soil, water, and animal feces, traveling through the meat packing facilities unnoticed.

The recent outbreak was discovered after routine testing, which uncovered BrucePac’s ready-to-eat chicken as the source of the bacteria traveling across the country. While there have been no confirmed deaths or illnesses related to consuming the products, throw away all products. More specifically, affected products include chicken wraps, bowls, and frozen entrees. Great Value, Michelina’s, and Rao are among the food brands listed under the recall. Target is also recalling their Good & Gather brand salads, with Trader Joe’s removing almost all the salads containing chicken from their locations.

To check out the full list released by the USDA of every recall, click here.