After being linked to a Salmonella outbreak and recalling 1.7 million-pounds of frozen stuffed chicken entrees, the parent company of Barber Foods of Portland, Maine says it is working to reduce Salmonella at its production facilities. AdvancePierre Foods of Cincinnati, posted a statement on it website dating the company is fully cooperating the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) on the recall and has begun to modify its production practices.
AdvancePierre, which generates $1.6 billion in annual revenue, makes packaged sandwiches, fully cooked and uncooked meat products and bakery items for schools, universities, convenience stores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs. The frozen stuffed chicken entrees associated with this outbreak are pre-browned, but raw. Sold under a variety of brand names, the recalled products include chicken Kiev, chicken Swiss, chicken ham and cheese, chicken asparagus and cheese, chicken Cordon Bleu, chicken Cordon Swiss, chicken in butter, chicken broccoli and swiss, chicken creme brie, chicken garlic butter, chicken parmesan, chicken fingers and Italian chicken tenders.
Consumers who have purchased any of these products sold under the brand names Barber, Loblaws No Name, Meijer, Omaha Steaks, Sysco, and Western Family should not eat them as Salmonella can cause serious illness. So far, seven people in three states have been sickened and two of them have been hospitalized. Salmonella poisoning causes symptoms including nausea, fever, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, chills and vomiting.
Advance Pierre says the problem is associated with nine production dates from February 2015 through May 2015 at Barber Foods Portland, Maine facility. The company says it is working “to modify our production practices including, but not limited to, additional levels of microbiological analysis and additional control procedures to reduce Salmonella in both incoming and outgoing raw stuffed chicken breast products.”
