July 4, 2021- 8:55 a.m
Tyson Foods Inc., a leading producer of poultry, is voluntarily recalling nearly 8.5 million pounds of frozen, fully cooked chicken due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall Saturday evening.
The frozen product was produced at a plant in Dexter, Missouri, between Dec. 26, 2020, and April 13, 2021, and includes more than two dozen fully cooked chicken products.
A variety of fully cooked chicken sold in bag sizes from 12-ounce bags of fully-cooked oven roasted diced chicken breast to 30-pound bags of fully cooked chicken fajita strips are being recalled.
Products were also sold under brands such as Jet’s Pizza, Casey’s General Store, Marco’s Pizza and Little Caesars.
The items were distributed nationwide and shipped to retailers and foodservice establishments and institutions including hospitals, nursing facilities, restaurants, schools and Department of Defense locations, according to a news release.
Items being recall have the establishment number “EST.P-7089 on the bag or inside the USDA mark of inspection.
“We’re committed to providing safe, healthy food that people rely on every day,” Scott Brooks, senior vice president, food safety and quality assurance, Tyson Foods, said in a statement.
“We are taking this precautionary step out of an abundance of caution and in keeping with our commitment to safety.”
The company said no other Tyson products are impacted by the recall, including but not limited to any Tyson brand fresh chicken; frozen, raw chicken products or chicken nuggets.
Businesses should not serve or sell the recalled products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Consumers should throw the product away or return it to the store where purchased.
The CDC says symptoms of Listeria infection can be different depending on the person and part of the body affected.
Healthy individuals may experience high fever, severe headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.Symptoms usually start one to four weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria. But they can also start as late as 10 weeks after of exposure, the CDC says.
Pregnant women
However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
Symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle aches.
