Tyson recalls around 8.5million pounds of chicken amid listeria outbreak

It may not be the mass Listeria, but Tyson Foods, Inc. is now recalling approximately 8,492,832 pounds of its chicken products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

According to the Food Safety and Food Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the recall involves frozen, fully cooked and ready to eat (RTE) chicken products that have been produced between December 26, 2020 and April 13, 2021. RTE means that normally you can eat them without doing anything more than cooking them. Of course, you usually thaw these chicken products before eating them, unless you’re used to sucking on frozen chicken nuggets. In its Saturday announcement, the USDA FSIS provided a list of specific recalled products and photos of their labels. Look for the establishment number “EST. P-7089 “which may be somewhere on the product bag or also in the USDA inspection mark.

Of course, the nearly 8.5 million pounds of chicken products didn’t go to one person. Would have been a lot of chicken to put on your pizza or salad. Instead, this chicken has traveled across the country to various “retailers and institutions, including hospitals, care facilities, restaurants, schools and Department of Defense sites,” according to the terms of the announcement. USDA FSIS. The fact that the chicken went to hospitals, nursing homes, and schools is remarkable because Listeria is more likely to cause a more serious disease, called invasive listeriosis, in people who are older, have weakened immune systems, or are pregnant. I have already covered for Forbes how much this fever and diarrhea bacteria can make you poop. But while feeling like poo isn’t a positive thing (with apologies to poo), the biggest concern is the risk of invasive listeriosis, when the bacteria pass from your intestines into your bloodstream and invade your central nervous system. . This can lead to very serious problems with a risk of death of 20-30%.

Here is an illustration of Listeria monocytogenes:

As you can see, they look a bit like hot dogs with spaghetti noodles cooked through them except you don’t want to eat those bacteria. (Although you might not want to eat hot dogs with cooked spaghetti either.)

The reason for the recall is a Listeria epidemic, which I spoke about yesterday for Forbes. From April 6, 2021 to June 5, 2021, three cases of Listeria infections, resulting in three hospitalizations and one death. Three cases may not seem like a lot, but keep in mind that in almost all outbreaks there are many actual cases that may go unreported. It’s not like the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) has the resources and the personal power to go door to door and ask every person, “Have you had diarrhea? USDA’s FSIS found Listeria monocytogenes in two samples of precooked chicken, including a sample taken from Tyson Foods Inc. The genetic makeup of the Listeria was very similar to that of bacteria found in people who had fallen ill.

Tyson Foods, Inc. also issued a statement yesterday saying that this “voluntary recall is being initiated out of excess of caution” as opposed to just a little bit of caution. According to the statement, “the affected products were manufactured at a plant in Dexter, Missouri, between December 26, 2020 and April 13, 2021.” Further, the press release states that “there is no conclusive evidence that the products were contaminated at the time of shipment.”

So don’t be chicken if you find any of the products on the USDA FSIS recall list. Instead, return the products for a refund. Do not risk having a disease like “anything”. USDA also offered three ways to contact them. One of them calls the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854). A second possible avenue is their “Ask USDA” live chat, which is available between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm EST Monday through Friday. A third option is to email them to [email protected]. Keep in mind that all questions should be relevant to the recall or USDA. This wouldn’t be the place to ask for chicken recipes or why the chicken crossed the road.