Beef Jerky Recall Affects Dozens of Products, Brands

Beef jerky out of a company in California has been recalled, with dozens of brands affected, due to possible listeria contamination. The recall concerns 1,600 pounds of ready-to-eat jerky products that are currently not safe to eat. The brand names include Texas Family Jerky, Humboldt Jerky Co., Smokehouse Jerky Co., Rebel's Gourmet, and Gold Mine Jerky Company.

Boyd Specialties, LLC of Colton, California issued the recall on March 4, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced. The jery products were made on Feb. 23, 2022. The full list of recalled products can be found by clicking here. Images of the package labels are available here.

The products covered under the recall include the establishment number "EST. 40269" inside the USDA inspection logo. The items were shipped to stores in Alabama, Connecticut, California, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The issue was found by FSIS after a product sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

So far, there have been no reports of negative reactions from consumers. Anyone who did eat these products should contact a healthcare provider if they are concerned. Eating products with Listeria monocytogenes contamination could lead to listeriosis, which is serious for older adults, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and newborns. People outside these groups can be affected as well.

Some of the symptoms of listeriosis include "fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms," according to the FSIS. An invasive infection can also spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract. It can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infections for pregnant women. Listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics. People in the high-risk groups will feel flu-like symptoms within two months of eating the contaminated food.

Since these products often do not expire for over a year, FSIS is concerned that some consumers may still have affected beef jerky in their homes. The products should be thrown away or returned to the places they were bought at.

Listeria recalls are frequently issued. Just last week, Golden Medal Mushrrom Inc. expanded a recall of Enoki Mushrooms to include 150g/5.25-ounce packages of Enoki Mushrooms due to listeria concerns. In January, Frozen Food Development voluntarily recalled Lidl brand 12-ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach for the same reason.