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The recall of 10 million pounds of meat includes frozen meals and salads sold to Trader Joe's, Kroger and Amazon Fresh

The recall of 10 million pounds of meat includes frozen meals and salads sold to Trader Joe's, Kroger and Amazon Fresh

Nearly 10 million pounds of beef and chicken recalled because of possible listeria contamination are found in frozen meals and fresh salads from Trader Joe's, Jenny Craig, Amazon Fresh and major grocery chains like Kroger, according to U.S. regulators.

An updated list released Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture includes popular items like the Dole Classic Cobb Salad, Trader Joe's Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad and the Tarragon Chicken Salad Wrap. Also on the list are the Amazon Fresh Fiesta and Caesar salads and Jenny Craig's Classic Chicken Carbonara.

This Dole Cobb salad is on a list of 203 products recalled because it may contain tainted chicken. FSIS

Listeria can survive in frozen foods, according to food safety experts.

The 203-page list is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's most comprehensive to date. In addition to the brand and packaging, the list indicates which supermarkets sold the potentially contaminated chicken and beef.

Previous lists of potentially contaminated products did not include consumer labels. FSIS
Retailers are responsible for removing potentially contaminated products from their shelves. FSIS

The agency's initial list, dated Oct. 9, caused confusion because it contained only product codes and abbreviations that were difficult, if not impossible, for shoppers to understand.

“We update all products with labels as we receive the information,” a USDA spokesperson told The Post.

Last week, the federal agency said Durant, Oklahoma-based BrucePac had recalled 10 million pounds of its ready-to-eat meat that it sells to grocery stores, restaurants and institutions after the agency discovered the presence of listeria in some of its poultry products.

A number of Jenny Craig frozen meals were on the USDA recall list. FSIS

“This recall is concerning because of its magnitude – nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken distributed through popular brands such as Trader Joe's, Amazon Fresh, Kroger and Dole,” said Patrick Quade, executive director of iwaspoisoned.com, which tracks foodborne illnesses.

“With such widespread distribution and the inclusion of frozen products and fresh meals, there is an increased risk that contaminated products may still be in consumers' refrigerators and freezers, increasing the likelihood of future reports of illness,” Quade added.

BrucePac is based in Oklahoma and is involved in the second major listeria recall in four months. KTEN

No consumer illnesses have been reported to date, according to the USDA, which has been in crisis since July's “Boar's Head” listeria recall involving more than 7 million pounds of cold cuts, which resulted in 10 deaths and dozens of hospitalizations.

The agency has come under fire because of numerous past inspection violations that the agency was aware of at the Boar's Head processing plant in Jarratt, Virginia, where the tainted meat was produced.

Now the USDA is conducting an investigation that could lead to criminal charges against the century-old family business based in Sarasota, Florida.

In the case of BrucePac, the USDA said it discovered the problem after conducting routine testing of poultry products. The tests returned a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes, a type of bacteria that causes infections and can lead to death in severe cases.

Food safety experts are concerned about the supply chain for so-called “ready-to-eat” meat. KTEN
Supermarket chains across the country have been ordered by BrucePac to remove certain products from their stores. FSIS

The Food Safety and Inspection Service – a branch of the USDA that oversees meat plants overseas – said in a statement that it was “concerned that some products may be available for use in restaurants, institutions and other establishments.” These other establishments have potentially affected meat and poultry used in (ready-to-eat) products that may be on store shelves or in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.”

BrucePac is responsible for notifying retailers of the recall and stores are responsible for removing potentially contaminated products from their shelves. However, aside from media reports about the recalls, consumer reach is limited.

“The cluster of two large listeria-related recalls raises concerns about possible vulnerabilities in parts of the ready-to-eat food supply chain,” Quade added.

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