If you read about a contaminated meat recall, or realize you’ve bought contaminated meat, do you know what to do?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently reported that a Louisiana-based meat packing company has expanded a recall of nearly half a million meat products because of possible bacterial contamination. No illnesses have been reported so far.
LIKE BDO On Facebook! Get Your Daily Medicine…For Life!
Due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the Manda Packing Company recall announced this past week now includes 468,000 pounds of roast beef, ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog headcheese, corned beef, and pastrami. The states affected by the recall include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky,Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service listed eight types of meat sold under 41 different names with various “sell by” dates. However, some of the products may have been sliced at retail delis, and if so, will not bear packaging information.
The recalled meats were produced at Manda’s facility in Baker, La. between Feb. 27 and April 9.
READ: 9 Nasty Things You Eat Every Day
According to a USDA statement, eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease.
“Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis,” the statement said. But the disease can be serious and sometimes fatal for those with weakened immune systems, and it can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.
“We are committed to work with USDA in reviewing and enhancing our food safety system so we can continue to ensure that our products are safe, wholesome and worthy of our brand name,” Josh Yarborough, director of quality assurance for Manda, said.
The recall covers roast beef, ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog head cheese, corned beef and pastrami.
For more information, visit the USDA’s website.
NEXT PAGE: Click to the next page to learn what you need to do with contaminated meat…