Tip Top Poultry of Rockmart, Georgia, is recalling an undetermined amount of ready-to-eat poultry products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. These products were sold under many different brand names. There have been no confirmed reports of illness due to the consumption of these products.
The frozen cooked, diced, or shredded ready-to-eat chicken products were produced between January 21, 2019 and September 24, 2019. Some of the brand names and descriptions of the recalled products include Butterball Cooked Pulled Turkey, Tip Top Diced Cooked Chicken, Perdue Diced All White Meat, Sysco Diced Chicken White Meat, West Creek 1/2″ White, GFS Cooked Chicken, H. Walker Foods Pulled Chicken Meat, among others. You can see the three pages of recalled products at the USDA web site.
The products all have the establishment number “Est. P-17453” inside the USDA mark of inspection. They were shipped to institutions nationwide in the United States and Canada. The product codes range from 10000 to 19999 and 70000 to 79999.
The problem was discovered when the firm notified FSIS that “multiple samples” of product produced by Tip Top Poultry, Inc. confirmed positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria after being tested in Canada. There is zero tolerance for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat products.
If you purchased any of these products, do not eat them. Throw them away in a sealed container so animals and other people can’t access them. You can also take them back to the place of purchase for a full refund.
If it becomes available, the USDA will publish the retail distribution list with stores that may have sold these products. You can see pictures of recalled product labels at the USDA web site.
If you did buy any of these recalled products, you should clean your refrigerator or freezer with a mild bleach solution to kill any pathogens. Wash your hands well with soap and water after cleaning and after touching these products.
If you ate these products, monitor yourself for the symptoms of listeriosis for the next 70 days. Symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, muscle aches, high fever, and diarrhea. Pregnant women may only feel like they have the flu, but this illness can cause premature labor, infection in the newborn, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
