Officials at Tyson Foods Inc. is recalling approximately 8,492,832 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Saturday.
According to The United States Department of Agriculture, the frozen fully cooked chicken products were produced between December 26, 2020, and April 13, 2021.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. P-7089” on the product bag or inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped nationwide to retailers and institutions, including hospitals, nursing facilities, restaurants, schools and Department of Defense locations.
USDA officials said on June 9, 2021, FSIS was notified of two persons ill with listeriosis.
Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health partners, FSIS determined there is evidence linking the Listeria monocytogenesillnesses to pre-cooked chicken produced at Tyson Foods Inc.
The epidemiologic investigation identified three listeriosis illnesses, including one death, between April 6, 2021, and June 5, 2021. During routine sample collection, FSIS collected two precooked chicken samples from two establishments that are closely related genetically to Listeria monocytogenes from ill people.
One of the samples was collected at Tyson Foods Inc. FSIS is continuing to work with federal and state public health partners to determine if additional illnesses are linked to these products.
Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.
Officials said the products that are subject to recall are listed here. View the labels here.
Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems.