A major meatpacker has recalled nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat beef and poultry items due to worries that they are contaminated with listeria, according to the federal government.
BrucePac, the company based in Durant, Okla whose brand names include Urban Bruce and City Grillers, said it was recalling 9,986,245 pounds of ready-to-eat products that were produced from June 19 of this year until Oct. 8, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“These products were shipped to other establishments and distributors nationwide then distributed to restaurants and institutions,” the agency said on Wednesday.
The USDA said it discovered the issue after conducting routine testing of poultry products. The testing came back positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a species of bacteria that causes infection and could lead to death in severe cases.
Food regulators investigated the matter further and found that the bacteria was found in ready-to-eat chicken.
As of Thursday, there were no confirmed reports of listeria infections caused as a result of consuming BrucePac-produced meat.
The USDA published a full list of products that were recalled.
“Restaurants, institutions, and other establishments are urged not to serve or use these products,” the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said on Wednesday.
“These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
Meanwhile, a California-based cheese and dairy company has been ordered by the government to cease production after an investigation found that two deaths were caused by consumption of products that were contaminated with listeria.
The Justice Department on Wednesday announced that Rizo-López Foods in Modesto, Calif. would discontinue operations.
The company, which specializes in Mexican-style cheeses and other dairy products, had previously operated under several brand names including Don Francisco and La Mexicana.
In June 2014, a listeria outbreak led to the hospitalization of 23 people across 11 states. Two of those people died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The outbreak was traced to products made by Rizo-López.
In 2017, a California resident died due to listeria, according to the CDC. Another fatality was reported in Texas in 2020.
In January, officials in Hawaii detected traces of listeria in a sampling of Rizo Brothers Aged Cotija — prompting the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration to reopen its investigation.
The next month, the government announced a limited recall which was expanded to include more than 60 products sold nationwide.
Food safety has been thrust into the headlines in recent weeks after one of the nation’s most recognizable brands of deli meat was found to have been contaminated with listeria.
At least 10 people and dozens more have been sickened in 19 states due to a listeria outbreak that prompted the closure of a large Boar’s Head deli meat plan in Virginia.
The plant hasn’t operated since late July, when officials with the USDA suspended inspections and the firm recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli meats because of potential contamination.
