Publix Issues Back-To-Back Meat Recalls

Consumers doing their grocery shopping at Publix will want to take a quick look at their recent purchases. The Lakeland, Florida-headquartered supermarket chain recently issued two recalls for meat products just days apart, encouraging customers not to eat certain Don Novo ready-to-eat meat products and Publix ground meat products due to possible contamination issues.

The first of the recalls was issued by the supermarket chain on Feb. 14. The recall affects some of its store-brand meat products sold specifically at a Spring Hill Publix in Lakewood Plaza. The recall includes Publix brand Beef & Pork for Meatloaf, Ground Chuck (20%), Lean Ground Beef (7%), Ground Chuck Burgers, Ground Round (15%), A/B Ground Chuck (20%), Ground Sirloin (10%), A/B Lean Ground Beef (7%), Ground Chuck Slider Burgers, GreenWise Ground Beef 92% Lean, and GreenWise Ground Chuck (20% Fat). The products were sold on Feb. 13 and have sell by dates ranging from Feb. 14 through Feb. 15. The complete list of recalled ground meat products, including affected sell by dates and GTIN codes, can be found here.

Publix issued the recall "due to the potential of foreign material in the product." In a statement, Maria Brous, Publix director of communications, said, "as part of our commitment to food safety, potentially impacted product has been removed from the store shelves."

Just two days later, on Feb. 16, Publix alerted consumers to a recall of approximately 9,330 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium that causes listeriosis, a serious infection. Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

The recall was issued by Don Novo & Son and affects certain products that were shipped to retail locations in Florida and bear establishment number "EST. 34257" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The recall includes Don Novo Smoked Ribs, Don Novo Smoked Pork Loin, Don Novo Mortadella, and Don Novo Chorizo. In a notice to consumers, Publix said the recall was issued after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) "was notified that a sample collected by a state public health partner tested positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes." Don Novo & Son added, "there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products."