From ABC 7: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for ready-to-eat (RTE)
From ABC 7: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for ready-to-eat (RTE) fresh salad products with ham and chicken that contain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulated lettuce that is recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) contamination.
The fresh salads with chicken and ham were produced on various dates from March 10, 2023, through March 24, 2023. The following products subject to the public health alert are:
- 5.5-oz. clear plastic packages containing “Fruit Ridge Farms White Chicken Caesar Salad” with sell by dates 03/10/23 through 04/14/23.
- 4.6-oz. clear plastic packages containing “Fruit Ridge Farms Chef Salad with Ham” with sell by dates 03/10/23 through 04/14/23.
- 5.5-oz. clear plastic packages containing “BELL’S BISTRO White Chicken Caesar Salad” with sell by dates 03/10/23 through 04/14/23.
- 4.6-oz. clear plastic packages containing “BELL’S BISTRO Chef Salad with Ham” with sell by dates 03/10/23 through 04/14/23.
The products bear establishment number “EST. 17050” or “P-17050” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
The issue was discovered when the firm notified the FSIS that they used FDA-recalled lettuce to produce the fresh salad with chicken and ham products.
There are currently no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.
Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, pregnant women and their newborns, and persons with weakened immune systems. Less commonly, people outside these risk groups are affected.
Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections can occur in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. 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.
FSIS is concerned that some products may still be in consumers’ refrigerators. Consumers that have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
