Image by Christo Anestev from Pixabay
BrucePac announces huge chicken recall involving nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products due to possible Listeria contamination. This recall was announced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on October 9, 2024.
Certain HEB brand frozen meals, Trader Joes wraps and salads, and other products are included in this recall.
Here’s what we know about this huge chicken recall so far.
BrucePac, a Durant, Oklahoma company, makes beef, chicken, turkey, pork, and plant-based meat products for various retail, manufacturing, and food service partners.
They source and prepare these meats to be used or served by other companies.
Being a company that produces various products for many different firms, a recall can reach a wide range of products. As is the case for this huge chicken recall right now.
Affected products include:
The expanded list of recalled products can be found here.
Affected products were produced from June 19, 2024 through October 8, 2024 and were shipped to other establishments and distributors nationwide. From there, they may have been distributed further to restaurants and institutions.
Poultry products included in this recall bear establishment numbers “51205” or “P-51205” under the USDA mark of inspection.
The huge chicken recall was prompted after routine product testing performed by the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in the finished product of some of BrucePac’s ready-to-eat chicken products.
After further investigation, BrucePac ready-to-eat chicken was identified as the source of the Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
So far there have been no confirmed reports of illness or adverse reactions due to consuming these recalled products. However, Listeria infections may take up to ten weeks for symptoms to appear and an additional four weeks or so for a patient to be connected to an outbreak.
Additionally, many people with mild Listeria infections do not seek medical attention, therefore they are never tested for Listeria. Those cases are not reported.
While the recall should remove the product from store shelves, preventing future sales of potentially contaminated products, FSIS is concerned that product may still be in consumers refrigerators or freezers.
Check your fridges and freezers for recalled products.
Listeria monocytogenes is the bacteria responsible for the illness, listeriosis. Listeriosis is a serious infection often linked to contaminated foods.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates about 1,600 people become sick with listeriosis each year. About 260 of those die from the illness.
While anyone can become infected with Listeria, most normally healthy people do not become seriously ill. There are certain groups, however, that are more at risk of becoming sick or experiencing more severe illness.
High-risk groups include:
There are two types of Listeria illness symptoms. Those associated with intestinal illness and those that happen when the bacteria leave the digestive system and become invasive.
The most common symptoms of listeriosis involve intestinal illness. This is where the infection affects the digestive system. Vomiting and diarrhea symptoms often begins within 24 hours of consuming contaminated food and lasts around 1 to 3 days.
Most people with this type of listeriosis will not need antibiotic treatment. In these cases, a sick person treats symptoms and stays hydrated until the illness passes. Those in the higher risk groups, however, may need medical treatment and antibiotics to recover.
Intestinal listeriosis should still be monitored, as it may evolve into a more invasive illness.
Invasive illness occurs when Listeria bacteria make its way beyond the digestive system and enter other parts of the body. Often through the bloodstream through areas the bacteria damages in the intestinal lining.
In this case, listeriosis affects pregnant and non-pregnant people differently. In both categories, symptoms often begin about 2 weeks after consuming the contaminated food.
Pregnant people generally experience milder personal symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. The greater risk, however, is associated with the pregnancy. Listeriosis during pregnancy can lead to still birth, premature delivery, miscarriage, or life-threatening infection in the newborn.
People who are not pregnant often experience symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Fever and muscle aches are also possible symptoms. This type of illness can be serious and life-threatening. In fact, 1 in 20 non-pregnant people with invasive listeriosis will die from their illness.
Most people with invasive listeriosis require medical treatment and often need hospitalization.
If you become sick from BrucePac chicken recall products, there are a few things you can do to help yourself or someone you are caring for.
If you are sick with Listeria symptoms and involved in an outbreak, the local health department may need to ask you some questions to help narrow or expand the scope of the investigation. These questions often involve the foods and drinks you consumed in the weeks prior to becoming sick.
Making this list while the information is still fresh in your mind will help create a more accurate list. Include what you ate, where you got it, and where you ate it. Be as thorough as possible.
If you are sick with Listeria symptoms, especially if you are pregnant or in a higher risk category, seek medical attention. If you are tested and results indicate positive results for Listeria monocytogenes, your results may help the investigation.
Additionally, severe infections may escalate quickly. Prompt treatment may help you recover faster and with fewer complications.
If you have become seriously ill from consuming products from this BrucePac chicken recall and have been financially impacted, you need to get advice from an experienced Listeria lawyer.
Medical bills, lost income, and other burdens associated with foodborne illness add up. A Listeria lawyer can help gather the necessary information and present a case for financial compensation.
If you have become seriously ill from consuming products in the BrucePac chicken recall, you may have a legal case.
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has helped many families with cases just like yours help hold accountable those responsible for foodborne illness. Call (833) 330-3663 or submit your information on the online submission form for a free consultation.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)
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