Nearly 10 Million Pounds Of Ready-To-Eat Meat Is Being Recalled For A Listeria Risk

Consumers and restaurants across the United States are urged to double check the ready-to-eat meat in their fridge, after the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) discovered that almost 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products on the market may contain listeria, per USDA. On October 9, 2024, BrucePac, an Oklahoma-based company that supplies meat to restaurants and institutions nationwide, reported the recall after a routine inspection conducted by the FSIS discovered that certain items were potentially contaminated with listeria. Further investigation discovered that BrucePac's ready-to-eat chicken was the source of the outbreak.

While a comprehensive list of potentially affected BrucePac products has not yet been published, the USDA disclosed that the contaminated items were produced from June 19, 2024 to October 8, 2024. The establishment numbers 51205 or P-51205 are printed inside or around the USDA mark on the product's packaging. Restaurants and institutions that purchased BrucePac ready-to-eat meats during this time are urged to discard or return these products, as serving them to consumers may cause serious illness.

At the time of this publication, there have been no reported reactions from consumers in connection to recalled BrucePac ready-to-eat meat products, but the risk of consumption is a huge concern considering the massive amount of product affected. This news is the latest in a long list of products recalled in 2024 due to listeria, including a listeria outbreak connected to shelled walnuts and a major outbreak of listeria amongst deli meat products, the latter of which resulted in multiple hospitalizations and two deaths.

Listeria is a foodborne bacteria that can be contracted after eating contaminated food, most commonly found in meat and dairy products that have been incorrectly processed. Listeria-contaminated food doesn't show any giveaways such as a different smell, taste, or appearance compared to uncontaminated foods, making this germ a silent threat. It causes listeriosis, a kind of food poisoning with a range of symptoms including stomach pains, nausea, fever, and chills, and has the potential to be life-threatening in severe cases, especially to babies, the elderly, pregnant people, and people who are immunocompromised. If left untreated, listeria can spread to the nervous system and cause head and body aches, confusion, and even convulsions.