Tyson Foods recalled almost 8.5 million pounds of frozen chicken products because they may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Safety Inspection Service announced Saturday. The agency found three cases of listeriosis illnesses connected to the contamination earlier this year, including one death. The chicken products recalled were made between Dec. 26, 2020 and April 13.
On June 9, the FSIS received a report that two people were sick with listeriosis. The FSIS, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state public health departments found evidence linking the illness to the precooked chicken products made by Tyson. The investigation found three cases linked to the products between April 6 and June 5. One of the three people who fell sick died.
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The recalled products have the establishment number “EST. P-7089” on the product bag or in the USDA inspection mark. The items were shipped to retailers and institutions like hospitals, nursing facilities, restaurants, schools, and Department of Defense locations. “FSIS is concerned that some products may be in consumer and institutional freezers. Consumers should not eat these products. Institutions should not serve these products,” the agency’s statement read. The USDA advised customers to throw out the recalled products or return them to where they were purchased.
If you eat food contaminated with L. monocytogenes, you can contract listeriosis, a serious infection that affects older adults, people with weak immune systems, pregnant women, and newborns. Some of the side effects of the illness include fever, muscle aches, headaches, a stiff neck, loss of balance, confusion, and other gastrointestinal services. In pregnant women, the infection can lead to miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
“Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics,” the USDA notes. “Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.” You can find the USDA’s full list of recalled Tyson products by clicking here.
