Cheeseburgers Were Just Recalled In Over 5 States

Food safety experts are warning shoppers in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wyoming about a possible health risk due to a Listeria monocytogenes contamination found in Dakota Tom's Sandwiches. The sandwiches in question are all made with burger patties that are part of a recall from BrucePac, an outside supplier used by Dakota Tom's. Customers who purchased Dakota Tom's Pepperjack cheeseburger, bacon cheeseburger, or the Gambler, during the 9/1/24 – 11/23/24 best-by-date range are strongly encouraged to either discard or return the sandwiches to the store where they were bought.

This is considered a voluntary recall, meaning the team behind Dakota Tom's Sandwiches has announced the recall at their own discretion. To date, there have been no Listeria monocytogenes illnesses reported due to the consumption of any of the three sandwiches listed above, but shoppers should still look out for and avoid the following Universal Product Code on their sandwiches: Pepperjack cheesburger (UPC 737296806008), the Gambler (UPC 737296601788), and bacon cheeseburger (UPC 3729680300). According to a press release issued by the Food and Drug Administration, the brand "is no longer using this ingredient from the ingredient supplier's (BrucePac) impacted facility."

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that contaminates food and can lead to very serious infections in vulnerable populations. Young people with strong immune systems who eat food contaminated with listeria will most likely experience mild, food poisoning-like symptoms before going on to have a full recovery. However, pregnant people, newborns, adults aged 65+, or people with weakened immune systems could have extremely negative or even deadly reactions to consuming listeria-laced food.

The Dakota Tom's Sandwiches voluntary recall comes on the heels of its supplier BrucePac's October recall, in which a whopping 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat was pulled off the shelves due to a listeria discovery made by the Food Safety and Inspection Service. It's been a rough year for the meat industry in general, as it seems we can't go a month without sweeping listeria recalls. While it can be difficult to avoid listeria outbreaks before you know they're happening, if you are in one of the vulnerable categories listed above, you can make your ready-to-eat foods a little safer by cooking them to a minimum internal temperature based on the type of ingredients in the meal.