A wave of sweeping food recalls has hit Costco, with the wholesale giant pulling five more foods containing chicken from its shelves due to listeria fears.
Five products have been recalled, including popular frozen snacks and fast pasta meals, and Costco is urging anyone who purchased the recalled items from September to October 2024 to throw them away or return them to the place where you purchased the products.
The hypermarket’s latest move is part of a growing contamination problem at an Oklahoma facility that makes BrucePac ready-to-eat meat and chicken products.
BrucePac has recalled 12 million pounds of meat distributed to stores, restaurants and schools across the country.
So far, Costco has pulled about 200 products from its shelves over concerns of listeria contamination linked to a single meat and poultry manufacturer.
The USDA, which oversees food inspections, has not confirmed any illnesses linked to contaminated chicken.
But officials said they are concerned that cases of listeriosis could emerge soon given the broad reach of the chicken maker, which has distributed its products to major retailers such as Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Walmart, as well as hundreds of schools in more than a dozen states.
The latest products pulled from Costco shelves include the Readywise 110-Serving Emergency Protein Cube, Red’s Southwestern Grill Mini Chicken Burritos, El Monterey Mexican Grill Chicken and Cheese Taquitos, Rana Chicken Truffle Carbonara, and roasted white chicken noodles and Portabello mushroom sauce.
The wholesale giant’s latest move to halt sales of those items is part of a broader recall covering 200 products, equivalent to 11,765,285 pounds of foods containing chicken.
Listeria contamination was discovered at an Oklahoma facility that manufactures BrucePac ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service said: ‘The issue was discovered after FSIS conducted routine testing of finished products containing ready-to-eat poultry products produced by BrucePac and confirmed that those products tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
“Subsequent FSIS investigation identified RTE BrucePac chicken as the source of Listeria monocytogenes.”
The recalled products were produced between May 31, 2024 and October 8, 2024. Some of them may have expiration dates very far in the future, which could be confusing for consumers who may realize that Your apparently shelf-stable product could be dangerous.
Readywise decided to stop selling its product in stores like Costco, which has already removed it from shelves, out of an abundance of caution.
The 110-serving Readywise Emergency Protein Cube sold at Costco has a shelf life of 25 years and is designed to be used in survival situations. It has not been proven to be contaminated with listeria, but was removed from the market “out of an abundance of caution.”
Costco’s other products may have “best buy” dates in the future, as late as 2026.
FSIS said it is “concerned” that some of these products shipped to Costco and other stores may currently be available for use in restaurants, institutions, schools and other establishments.
‘These other establishments may have used affected meat and poultry in RTE products that may be on store shelves or in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Restaurants, institutions, schools and other establishments are urged not to serve or use these products. These products should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase.’
Easy meals made by Rana have been included in the recall, although it is unclear whether those products have actually been contaminated.
In addition to affecting BrucePac’s chicken products, the recall also extended to beef.
Dakota Tom’s Sandwiches in South Dakota recalled its burgers distributed in stores and truck stops in the Mount Rushmore State, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Wyoming.
Listeria infection causes listeriosis. Most people who get listeriosis do not become seriously ill.
But about 1,600 people in the United States develop serious listeria infections, known as listeriosis, each year, and about 260 of those infections are fatal.
Pregnant women are 10 times more likely to get listeriosis compared to other adults due to changes in the immune system during pregnancy, making it easier for infections to take hold and the body having a harder time fighting them off.
If it spreads to the nervous system, listeria can also cause severe brain inflammation, blood poisoning, seizures, and swelling of the brain. Early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics are crucial to avoid the worst possible outcome.
In addition to causing flu-like symptoms, listeriosis can cause nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. In severe cases, it can cause life-altering seizures and paralysis.
This was the case for Michael Silberman, 86, of Florida, who contracted listeria earlier this year, causing brain swelling and seizures so severe that doctors had to sedate him for weeks.
Now he can only get around the house with a walker and is unable to drive, shop, shower or care for his wife Barbara, who suffers from arthritis.
He claims he contracted the virus after eating a sandwich containing sliced turkey made by Boar’s Head and that it was part of a major recall related to listeria.