WASHINGTON — A major recall involving nearly 12 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken and meat has now grown to include hundreds of products sold at Walmart, Target, Kroger, Trader Joe's and other major retailers.
BrucePac of Woodburn, Oregon, recalled the roughly 5,000 tons of ready-to-eat foods last week after U.S. Agriculture Department officials detected listeria in samples of poultry during routine testing. Further tests identified BrucePac chicken as the source.
The foods include products like grilled chicken breast strips that were made at the company's facility in Durant, Oklahoma. The recall now covers hundreds of products that included the meat and poultry that may be contaminated with listeria.
The USDA recently shared a 342-page document covering all of the products believed to be included in this recall. The massive list includes a variety of ready-to-eat salads, chicken salad, wraps and frozen meals.
The recalled products were sold at many different nationwide retailers including: 7-Eleven, Amazon Fresh, H-E-B, Giant Eagle, Raley's, Wegmans, Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, Aldi, Meijer and Trader Joe's.
As of Tuesday, the USDA announced the recall now includes 11,765,285 pounds of products. The agency also revealed some of the recalled products were also distributed to schools, but a school distribution list is not available at this time.
Consumers should review the USDA's recall document and check with retailers to confirm whether any of their recent purchases are on the list.
Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and tiredness and may cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Symptoms can occur quickly or to up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. The infections are especially dangerous for older people, those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.
No adverse effects related to the recall have been reported, according to federal food inspectors.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.