2 million more stuffed chicken breasts recalled for possible salmonella
By Laura Northrup From Consumerist
One example of a frozen chicken breast package that’s part of this recall.
One example of a frozen chicken breast package that’s part of this recall.
Hey, remember that recall of 1.7 million frozen stuffed chicken breasts and other chicken products for potential Salmonella contamination earlier this week? Hope you’re ready to check your freezer again, chicken fans! Another company that sells similar products has recalled 1,978,680 (let’s round that up to 2 million) pounds of its prepared chicken products. That is not a total of 2 million including the last recall: this is a separate recall for similar products.
This manufacturer, Koch Poultry Company’s Aspen Foods, sells its products under a number of brand names. You can check the USDA’s complete list of recalled products, which is available as an Excel sheet, but it’s utterly useless to consumers since it only contains product names, product codes, and the weight of each shipment, without mentioning details like the brands and retailers or wholesalers that might have sold the products that have now been recalled.
Here’s what you should actually look for: chicken from the affected facility will have the USDA establishment number P-1358. The affected products were packaged between April 15, 2015 and July 10, 2015, and have “best if used by” dates between July 14, 2016 and October 10, 2016.
To jog your memory, brand names included in the recall (this isn’t a comprehensive list) are:
Koch Foods
Chestnut Farms
Safeway
Market Day (sold as fundraiser)
Roundy’s
Spartan
Acclaim
Family Favorites
Kirkwood
Safeway Kitchens
Buckley Farms
Oven Cravers
Centrella
Shaner’s
Schwan’s
Antioch Farms
Rose
Rosebud Farm
In addition, stuffed chicken breasts sold by foodservice giant Sysco were also recalled, so if you’ve had chicken cordon bleu during a recent catered or restaurant meal, monitor yourself for fever and abdominal cramps.
If you have questions about the recall, contact the retailer where you purchased the item, or call the company’s hotline at (844) 277-6802.
The symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea (which can be severe), abdominal cramps, and a fever. The illness lasts for 4 to 7 days, but it can be more severe in people who are very young, very old, or who are already sick or immunocompromised. People are hospitalized and can die from this infection.
While the chicken breasts are pre-breaded and look ready to eat, you shouldn’t just pop them in the microwave: they should be heated to an internal temperature of 160 degrees in an oven.
For more on this story go to: http://consumerist.com/2015/07/16/almost-2-million-more-stuffed-chicken-breasts-recalled-for-possible-salmonella/