A Salmonella outbreak linked to Barber brand frozen chicken Kiev has sickened four people in Minnesota. Two people were hospitalized.
Image from the USDA FSIS recall
The illnesses were reported from April 5 through June 8 among case patients ranging in age from 19 to 82 years. All of the cases were reported in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Barber has issued a recall for the product which was sold at Sam’s Club stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois and at other stores. The recalled products have “use by/sell by” dates of April 28, 2016, May 20, 2016 and July 21, 2016 and Lot Code numbers 0950292102, 0950512101, or 0951132202. The establishment number “P-276” appears inside the USDA mark of inspection.
This outbreak has occurred at the same time as another Salmonella outbreak linked to raw breaded chicken products. Between May 9 and June 8 three people who ate Antioch Farms brand Chicken Cordon Bleu developed salmonellosis.
In Minnesota, there have been nine outbreaks of salmonellosis linked to raw breaded chicken products since 1998. “These chicken products are raw, breaded and pre-browned and often found near pre-cooked products at the grocery store, so even though the current labels state that the product is raw, consumers could mistakenly think the product is pre-cooked,” said Carlota Medus, epidemiologist for the Foodborne Illness Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health.
“Another problem is that consumers could accidentally contaminate their hands and kitchen surfaces prior to cooking,” Medus said. “Since these products are pre-browned and often cooked from the frozen state, they may appear safer when handling than other raw meats that may be noticeably dripping juices.”
Eating foods contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after exposure to the organism lasting four to seven days.
