WASHINGTON – The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Dept. of Agriculture issued a health alert regarding ready-to-eat chicken strips produced by House of Raeford.
FSIS said the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. FSIS did not request a recall because all of the affected products have been consumed; however there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. House of Raeford discovered the problem during routine testing, FSIS said.
The RTE, fully cooked chicken breast strips were produced and packaged on Sept. 29, 2016, and served to consumers in December 2016, FSIS said. The products were shipped to a distributor in Cleveland, Ohio, and then shipped to various restaurants in the area as part of fajita or gyro dishes.
Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, the agency said. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
FSIS urged consumers who purchased the affected items not to eat them. The products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Additionally, FSIS advised all consumers to reheat RTE product until steaming hot.
