The USDA Issues a Health Alert on Ready-To-Eat-Chicken Salad Due to Potential Listeria Food Poisoning
On January 28, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) issued a food safety alert concerning ready-to-eat chicken salad packages produced by Simply Fresh Market and a potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. When food that is contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes is consumed by someone, the person can contract listeriosis – especially dangerous source of food poisoning. Listeriosis is a serious gastrointestinal infection that expectant mothers are particularly susceptible to, as well as young children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.
According to food poisoning lawyer, Ron Simon, people who become ill with listeriosis (listeria food poisoning) typically experience fever and muscle aches, preceded by diarrhea and other stomach bug-like symptoms. Expectant mothers are not only more likely to contract listeriosis, but in doing so, they can transmit the infection to the child in-utero which can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, due to a form of listeriosis infection referred to as granulomatosis infantiseptica. Older people, or those with weakened immune systems, can also progress with listeria food poisoning to meningitis or encephalitis.
The CDC even recommends pregnant women abstain from eating cold meats, which are often a source of listeria.
The contaminated products were produced by Simply Fresh Market of Marietta, Georgia, on January 17, 2022. FSIS became aware of the issue after Simply Fresh Market relayed the information upon detecting the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in a routine food safety testing sample.
The following are the products subject to the public health alert: 8-oz and 16-oz. deli hinged containers of “simply fresh MARKET CHICKEN SALAD Apples & Walnuts” with a sell by date of “1/25” printed on the label. These products bear the establishment number of “EST. P47170” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The concerned products were distributed to three different markets in Atlanta, Georgia.
This contamination did not warrant a recall since the contaminated products are no longer available for purchase in any of the retail locations. However, a public health alert was issued in order to make the public aware, in the case that the product is still in peoples’ refrigerators or freezers, that they are not to eat the product, but should immediately throw it away or return it to its place of purchase for a refund. To date, there have been no reported adverse reactions in connection to the aforementioned products.
https://www.mashed.com/752756/simply-fresh-market-responds-to-potential-listeria-in-chicken-salads/
https://www.ronsimonassociates.com/foodpoisoning/listeria-lawyer
