The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today that Rio Tex Wholesale Meats, a company in Mercedes, Texas, has been compelled to recall nearly 60 thousand pounds of ready-to-eat beef products due to the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled beef was mostly sold under the label Hausman Foods, and included Carne Guisada, Barbacoa, and taco filling. Also recalled is the Rio-Tex-Meats Baracoa. All of the recalled product were produced between March 25, 2014, and February 19, 2015. The product is sold for institutional use, including hotel kitchens, restaurants, and cafeterias, throughout Texas.
FSIS Finds “Insufficient Sanitary Measures” in Effect at Rio Tex Wholesale Meats
The recall follows an investigation by the FSIS of historical testing samples that were positive for Listeria in the product and on both food contact and non-contact surfaces at the facility, with repeat positives of the same (or indistinguishable) Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) Listeria patterns. “It is this type of finding,” says National Listeria Lawyer Ron Simon, “that points to a serious institutional problem. When the same PFGE pattern of Listeria recurs over time, it means that the facility is not being properly sanitized over time, allowing for ongoing infection of the product.” Simon points to the recent outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg at Foster Farms facilities in California, in which over 600 people tested positive over eighteen months. “If Rio Tex Wholesale Meats fails to get on top of this, it may be at the center of an ongoing public health crisis in Texas,” Simon points out.
But here, Listeria Lawyer Ron Simon points out, we are addressing an even more dangerous bacteria than in the Foster Farms outbreak. In the Foster Farms outbreak, over 600 victims were identified, including over 200 who were hospitalized. Many of these were sickened with one of the antibiotic resistant strains of Salmonella Heidelberg causing severe illness that required aggressive treatment. But Listeria causes listeriosis, which hospitalizes over 80% of its victims and can be deadly. The highest risk group are pregnant women and their newborns, but also the elderly and the very young.
FSIS officials warn that this product may still be in freezers and may be served to unsuspecting consumers throughout the state.
How Do I Know if I Have Listeria Poisoning?
Identifying listeriosis is not always easy. Listeria, like many other pathogens, can cause traditional signs of food poisoning, such as diarrhea and gastrointestinal illness, but then it is often followed with fever, muscle and head aches, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and/or convulsions. It can also lead to meningitis. Acute listeriosis can sometimes be identified with a blood culture, and is treated with antibiotics..
