Deli meats produced by Manda Packing Company of Baker, La. that are potentially contaminated with Listeria are being recalled from 19 states. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection (USDA FSIS) has published an updated list of retailers that carried the recalled products which is now 46 pages long. To see the list click here.
The Manda products under recall include: roast beef, ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog head cheese, corned beef, and pastrami and were sold under a variety of brand names at grocery store deli counters. The recalled meats were sold in packages with “Sell by” dates ranging from May 13-June 22, 2013 and had the establishment number “EST. 8746A” inside the USDA mark of inspection. However, if consumers purchased these products sliced from retail delis, their packages will not bear the information above. Consumers who believe they have purchased the recalled deli meats should not eat them.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture discovered the problem during routine testing. A sample of cooked roast beef taken from a retail establishment on April 5, 2013 was positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Dozens of retailers including Ben E. Keith, Supervalu, Price Chopper, Brookshire Brothers, Kroger Stores, Dollar General, Piggly Wiggly Stores, Schnuck’s Markets; and Walmart stores carried the products.
Although no illnesses have been associated with the recalled meat. Listeria can cause serious, sometimes fatal illness. Symptoms of listeriosis, which can take up to two months to develop, include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Children, seniors, pregnant women and others with compromised immune systems are most at risk. Among pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.
