Boston Salads and Provisions Company is recalling about 222,959 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken salad products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. There have not been any reports of illness to date in connection with the consumption of these products. The salads were made between August 23 and October 14, 2013, and shipped to retail locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
You can see the long list of products at the USDA web site. The recalled product brand names include Boston Salads, Dietz & Watson, Market Source, Northern Haserot, Price Chopper, and Rachael’s Gourmet, The products include Caesar Chicken Salad, Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad, White Chicken Salad, and Tropical Cranberry Walnut. Case labels or packaging may have the sell by dates that range from 9/13/2013 through 11/4/2013. The establishment number “P-17999” should be inside the USDA mark of inspection. Some product in this recall is expired, but some may be frozen in consumer or retail freezers.
The New Hampshire Department of Public Health discovered the problem, which was verified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Both labs found Listeria monocytogenes with matching PFGE patterns in non-intact and intact samples of the product.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious illness, especially among the elderly, the very young, pregnant women, and those with chronic health problems and compromised immune systems. The symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, stiff neck, confusions, and loss of balance. Pregnant women may have only mild flu-like symptoms, but Listeria can cause stillbirth and miscarriage. If you ate one of these products within the last two months and have experienced these symptoms, please see your doctor and tell her about this recall.
