Recall of the Week: Foster Farms chicken strips due to Listeria contamination

Foster Farms is recalling about 40,000 pounds of frozen pre-cooked chicken strips due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said.

The frozen Chicken Breast Grilled Strips were produced on Aug. 5, and then shipped to retail warehouse locations in California, Texas, Utah, and Washington state.

The product comes in 3.25-lb. plastic resealable bags and has the establishment number “P-33901” and a Best by Date of 08-05-15.

The company discovered the problem during a routine inspection. While some of the chicken strips were set aside and held, the chicken strips subject to this recall were inadvertently shipped, the FSIS said.  

No reports of illnesses have been received. However, the FSIS and company are concerned that some of the chicken strips may be frozen and in consumers' freezers.

The FSIS advises all consumers to reheat ready-to-eat products until they’re steaming hot.

Eating food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. It can cause miscarriages, premature delivery, stillbirths, or infection to a newborn baby.

Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food, the FSIS said.

On July 31, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that a Foster Farm Salmonella outbreak associated with raw chicken had ended. The outbreak involved Salmonella Heidelberg. The outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg were resistant to several commonly prescribed antibiotics.

The Natural Resources Defense Council is concerned about how Foster Farm uses antibiotics in its chicken production. See the article “This Time It’s Listeria on Foster Farm Chicken” for details.

A recent report by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration showed that antibiotic use in livestock is increasing substantially. Consumer advocates are concerned that voluntary guidance that went into effect in 2013 won’t be strong enough to stop the growth, which is contributing to the development of drug resistant pathogens.

See the article “Antibiotics in Livestock: FDA Finds Use Is Rising” for more information.

For more information on the chicken strips recall, call Teresa Lenz, Foster Farm consumer affairs manager, at 800-338-8051.

For details on other recalls, see www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2014, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

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