Health officials are urging consumers not to eat certain poultry wraps after they were found to pose a significant health risk. United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced July 30 that Rachael’s Food Corporation has recalled more than 2,000 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry packaging products due to possible listeria contamination.
The recall affects the company’s ready-to-eat packages produced from July 15, 2022 through July 20, 2022 that bear the establishment number “EST 34657” or “P34657” inside the USDA inspection mark. A total of nine varieties, which have been shipped to retail outlets in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York, are affected. Specific wraps recalled include ATLANTIS FRESH MARKET Italian Style Wrap, RACHAEL’S FOOD CORPORATION Italian Style Wrap, ATLANTIS FRESH MARKET Turkey Club Wrap, RACHAEL’S FOOD CORPORATION Turkey Club Wrap, ATLANTIS FRESH MARKET Buffalo Style Chicken Wrap, RACHAEL’S FOOD CORPORATION Buffalo Style Chicken Wrap , ATLANTIS FRESH MARKET Chicken Caesar Wrap, RACHAEL’S FOOD CORPORATION Chicken Caesar Wrap and ALL TOWN CHICKEN CAESAR WRAP. The recalled products were sold in sealed plastic containers of various sizes. A complete list of recalled products with lot codes and expiration dates can be found here. Consumers can see an image of the labels here.
According to FSIS, the Chicopee, Massachusetts company issued the recall “after an FSIS routine product sample was confirmed positive for Listeria monocytogenes.” Caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, listeria is a serious infection usually caused by eating contaminated food. The bacteria usually affects young children, the frail or elderly, pregnant women and other people with weakened immune systems. It can cause high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. According to the opinion, “an invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract”. In some cases, this can be fatal. In pregnant women, listeria infection can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics.
At this time, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse effects from consuming the recalled body wraps. Nevertheless, consumers are advised to take precautions due to the health risks the packaging potentially poses. Consumers who purchased the recalled products are urged not to consume them. Instead, packaging should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase. Consumers concerned about injury or illness should contact a health care provider.
