On July 30, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Rachel’s Food Corporation declared a recall of approximately 2, 246 pounds of its ready-to-eat meat and poultry wrap products that have been found to potentially be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The potential contamination of Rachel’s brand ready-to-eat meat and poultry wrap products was discovered in follow-up procedures after a routine FSIS product sample which returned positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. While the samples indicate that the products are contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, there have not yet been any reports of adverse reactions connected with their consumption.
Listeria monocytogenes are a type of bacteria which can contaminate food, and when ingested with the food, may cause illness in that person. Food poisoning illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes is referred to as Listeriosis. Listeria can cause intestinal illness by infecting and inflaming the intestinal linings. This type of Listeria infection causes diarrhea and vomiting, which typically occurs within 24 hours of eating the contaminated food and persists for around 1-3 days. Some people may contract invasive listeriosis in which the Listeria infection spreads beyond the intestines and into other areas of the body. This type of listeriosis can cause fever and flu-like symptoms, like body aches and fatigue, in addition to diarrhea and vomiting. These symptoms typically begin within 2 weeks of having consumed the contaminated food.
Pregnant women are more likely than other populations to contract Listeria infection, in part because of their altered immune system during the period of gestation. While the pregnant mother typically experiences mild symptoms from the infection, the child in-utero is at a heightened risk for misscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection. Other populations with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly or chronically ill people, are at a greater risk for a serious onset of Listeria infection.
Due to the serious nature of Listeria infections, Rachel’s Food Corporation is taking the necessary precautions to prevent its customers from being exposed to their potentially adulterated products. Rachel’s Food Corporation is recalling its ready-to-eat meat and poultry products produced between July 15, 2022, and July 20, 2022. The recalled products bear the establishment number EST 34657” or “P34657” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products of concern were distributed to various locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.
For a complete list of the recalled products and any updates regarding the nature of this recall, visit the USDA’s website.
