Tyson recalls more than 8 million pounds of chicken over listeria concerns

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Tyson Foods Inc. is recalling nearly 8.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products due to possible listeria contamination.
• On July 3, the USDA announced the recall which includes frozen, fully cooked chicken products that were produced between December 26, 2020 and April 13, 2021.
• An investigation has identified three cases of listeriosis, including one death, associated with the recalled Tyson pre-cooked chicken.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced on Saturday that Tyson Food Inc. is recalling almost 8.5 million pounds of pre-cooked chicken products due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination concerns.

Last month, the Food Safety and Inspection Service was notified of two people who became sick with listeriosis, an infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes, according to the USDA release. The investigation identified three cases of the illness between April and June, including one person who had died from the disease.

Symptoms of listeria infection include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

The chicken products affected in the recall include frozen, fully-cooked chicken such as Tyson Pulled Chicken Breast, Tyson Fully Cooked Diced Grilled Chicken Breast with Rib Meat, Tyson Fully Cooked, Char-Broiled Boneless Chicken Meat for Fajitas and more.

According to the release, affected products were made between December 26, 2020 and April 13, 2021, They’re marked establishment number “EST. P-7089” on the product bag or inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The products were distributed across the US to both retailers and facilities like hospitals, nursing homes and schools.

Listeria infects primarily older adults, those with weakened immune systems and pregnant women and newborns, according to the release.

The USDA and FSIS advise that buyers with bags of the potentially contaminated chicken dispose of it or return it to the store they bought it.

Source: AOL