Tyson Foods Chicken Recall Expands Nearly 9 Million Pounds Due To Listeriosis Risk

Already large chicken recall expands, Tyson Foods adding more than 450,000 pounds of ready-to-eat poultry products to an existing 8.5 million pound recall potentially contaminated with listeria.

Shipped nationwide to retailers, restaurants, schools, hospitals and military bases, the recall involves three dozen fully cooked poultry products such as chicken strips, diced chicken and chicken pizza , according to a notice released Thursday by the US Department of Agriculture Inspection Service.

An outbreak linked to the bacteria and linked to Tyson products has resulted in one death in Delaware and two people in Texas ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Listeriosis is a life-threatening infection that primarily affects the elderly, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and newborns, according to the CDC. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and seizures sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

An estimated 1,600 Americans contract listeriosis each year and about 260 die from it, according to CDC data.

Produced between December 26, 2020 and April 13, 2021, the recalled Tyson products carry “EST. P-7089 ”on the product bag or inside the USDA inspection mark, according to FSIS.

Tyson, based in Springdale, Arkansas, said the affected products were made at a factory in Dexter, Missouri.

“While there is no conclusive evidence that the products were contaminated at the time of shipment, the recall is being initiated out of caution,” the company said in a statement.

Retailers who sold the recalled chicken include HEB, Kroger, Publix, Target, Walmart and Wegmans. (See here for a list of recalled products and here for the labels.)

The products could be found in consumer as well as institutional freezers, and should not be eaten or served but thrown away or returned, the USDA warned.

Related recalls include pizza and other food products containing chicken supplied by Tyson and sold at Safeway and Acme stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington DC, Albertsons Cos said on Wednesday.

Tyson’s recall also resulted in the recall of chicken salad sandwiches sold at Circle K stores in Phoenix, Arizona and Southern California, according to LSG Sky Chefs.

Consumers who purchased the 5.9-ounce sandwiches between June 1, 2021 and July 5, 2021 should discard or return them for a full refund. The sandwiches are wrapped with the Circle K mark and carry the UPC code 815138013996.

Consumers with questions should call or text Tyson Foods at (855) 382-3101.