Due to possible listeria contamination, the USDA has issued a Class 1 recall (the highest severity) for nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products released by the Oklahoma food processing company BrucePac. The outbreak was discovered during a routine inspection of ready-to-eat chicken. Until the exact products are identified it’s highly advisable to refrain from eating any ready-to-eat meat products, but especially ready-to-eat chicken. That can include food items such as rotisserie chicken, deli meat, or any other kind of meat that needs no preparation to be consumable.
Although you should be checking to see if your deli meat has gone bad anyway, that’s not what this recall is about. Meat doesn’t need to be spoiled for it to be the host of Listeria monocytogenes, a type of bacteria that can cause serious illness and even death.
According to the announcement from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the affected ready-to-eat meat and poultry items were produced between June 19, 2024 and October 8, 2024, and distributed nationwide. Information regarding package labels and a specific list of products will be made available as soon as possible. This is simply the initial announcement, with more details to come. That said, there is a way you can check if your product is potentially affected by the recall by looking for the code 51205 or P-51205 under the USDA mark of inspection.
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Another Outbreak Marks 2024 As A Bad Year For Listeria
This new recall comes hot on the heels of the recent Boar’s Head listeria outbreak. The Boar’s Head outbreak was the worst we’ve seen in a decade, and left at least 10 dead with dozens more infected. It isn’t just meat that’s been affected this year, either. The nondairy milk brand Silk suffered from a listeria outbreak that killed two people in Canada. And these two examples are far from the only outbreaks that have occurred this year. How and why these outbreaks continue to happen and whether they’re getting worse is unclear, but a certain number of outbreaks ought to be expected. Even still, we may look back on 2024 as a particularly bad year for listeria.
A listeria infection is a life-threatening food borne illness caused by bacteria. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, and confusion. Although everyone is at risk, the groups with the highest risk are pregnant women, older adults, and those with compromised immune systems. If you suspect you own meat that will be affected by this recall do not consume it.
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