(WKRN) — Tyson Foods Inc. has recalled over 8 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products that may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
An investigation uncovered three listeriosis illnesses, including one death, between April 6, 2021, and June 5, 2021.
The frozen, fully cooked chicken products were made between Dec. 26, 2020, and April 13, 2021, according to a press release.
The FSIS was notified on June 9, 2021, of two people who had become ill with listeriosis. FSIS then determined there was evidence linking the illnesses to pre-cooked chicken produced at Tyson Foods Inc.
Products subject to recall display establishment number “EST. P-7089” on the bag or inside the USDA mark of inspection. The items were shipped nationwide to retailers and institutions, including hospitals, nursing facilities, restaurants, schools and Department of Defense locations.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, listeriosis risk is higher in people 65 years or older, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women and their newborns. Symptoms of infection include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions or even death. In pregnant women, the infection can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. Infection in newborns can lead to serious illness or death.
Higher-risk people who develop flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care. Listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics.
Consumers should refrain from eating any of the recalled products, and they should throw them away or return them to where the place of purchase.
Click here for the full list of products subject to recall and here to view the labels.
