That's a Lot of Meat!

The Manda Packing Company, located in Baker, Louisiana, has expanded its April 10th recall to include additional products.  This recall now involves 468,000 lbs. of the following products: roast beef, ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog head cheese, corned beef, and pastrami.

The USDA has announced that these products could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.  Suspected packages all have a "sell-by" date between May 13 and June 22, 2013.   

Manda products are sold under many different brand names, so, if you've purchased any of the products listed above in the past few months, go to this link to find the brand names involved and other details about this recall.

However, note that some of these products may have been sliced at retail delis, and if so, they will not bear the packaging information listed on the website. The products have been shipped to retail grocery stores and delis in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

The link cited above also lists precautions that should be taken by people at risk for listeriosis. 

How worried should consumers be about contracting listeriosis? The USDA provides the following information: "Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider."

As of April 12, there have been no reported illnesses as a result of this recall.

Any questions about this recall? Contact Josh Yarborough, Director of Quality Assurance and Food Safety, at (225) 344-7636, ext. 59.

Source:

usda.gov "Louisiana Firm Recalls Cooked Meat, Poultry, and Deli Products Due To Possible Listeria Monocytogenes Contamination"

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_028_2013_Expanded/index.asp