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Recall of 10 million pounds of meat includes frozen dinners and salads sold at Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Amazon Fresh
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Recall of 10 million pounds of meat includes frozen dinners and salads sold at Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Amazon Fresh

Nearly 10 million pounds of beef and chicken recalled for possible listeria contamination can be found in frozen dinners and fresh salads from Trader Joe’s, Jenny Craig, Amazon Fresh and major supermarket chains including Kroger, according to U.S. regulators.

An updated list released Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture includes popular meals such as the Dole Classic Cobb Salad, Trader Joe’s Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad and Dragon Chicken Salad Wrap. Also on the list are the Amazon Fresh Fiesta and Caesar salads and Jenny Craig’s Classic Chicken Carbonara.

This Dole Cobb salad is on a list of 203 items that have been recalled because they may contain contaminated chicken. FSIS

According to food safety experts, Listeria can survive in frozen foods.

The 203-page list is the most comprehensive yet from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition to the brand name and packaging, the list indicates which supermarkets sold the possibly contaminated chicken and beef.

Previous lists of potentially contaminated products did not include consumer labels. FSIS
Retailers are responsible for removing potentially contaminated products from their shelves. FSIS

The agency’s initial list on Oct. 9 caused confusion because it included only product codes and abbreviations that were difficult, if not impossible, for shoppers to understand.

“We are updating all products with labels as we receive the information,” a USDA spokesperson told The Post.

Last week, the federal agency said Durant, Oklahoma-based BrucePac was recalling 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat it sells to supermarkets, restaurants and institutions after the agency discovered the presence of listeria in some of its poultry products.

A number of Jenny Craig frozen meals were on the USDA recall list. FSIS

“This recall is concerning because of its sheer scale – nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken distributed through popular brands such as Trader Joe’s, Amazon Fresh, Kroger and Dole,” said Patrick Quade, CEO of iwaspoisoned.com. tracks foodborne illness.

“With such wide distribution and the addition of frozen foods and fresh meals, there is an increased risk that contaminated products could still be present in consumers’ refrigerators and freezers, increasing the likelihood of future illness reports,” Quade added .

BrucePac is based in Oklahoma and is involved in the second major listeria recall within four months. KTEN

So far, no illnesses have been reported by consumers, according to the USDA, which has been in hot water since the Boar’s Head listeria recall in July, involving more than 7 million pounds of processed meats, resulting in 10 deaths and dozens hospital admissions .

The agency has come under fire because the Boar’s Head processing plant in Jarratt, Virginia, where the contaminated meat was produced, had a history of numerous inspection violations of which the agency was aware.

Now the USDA is conducting an investigation that could result in criminal charges against the century-old family business based in Sarasota, Florida.

In the case of BrucePac, the USDA said it discovered the problem after routine testing of poultry products. The tests were positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a type of bacteria that causes infections and can lead to death in severe cases.

Food safety experts are concerned about the so-called “ready-to-eat” meat supply chain. KTEN
Supermarket chains across the country have been notified by BrucePac to yank certain products from their stores. FSIS

The Food Safety and Inspection Service — a branch of the USDA that operates meat facilities overseas — said in a statement that it is “concerned that some products may be available for use in restaurants, institutions and other establishments. These other companies may have used contaminated meat and poultry in (ready-to-eat) products that may be on store shelves or in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.”

BrucePac is responsible for notifying retailers of the recall and stores are responsible for removing the potentially contaminated products from their shelves. But apart from media reports about the recalls, the reach to consumers is limited.

“The clustering of two major listeria-related recalls raises concerns about potential vulnerabilities in parts of the ready-to-eat food supply chain,” Quade said.