The problem was discovered on Jan. 24, when FSIS received notification from the company that it had shipped adulterated product to distributors in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
The ready-to-eat (RTE) frozen beef meatball items which bear establishment number “EST. 5336” inside the USDA mark of inspection were produced on Dec. 17, 2017. Products subject to the recall include 36-lb. cases containing six 6-lb. bags of “Member’s Mark Casa DI BERTACCHI ITALIAN STYLE BEEF MEATBALLS” with a “Best if Used By 17 DEC 2018” label and a lot code of 15507351 on the packaging.
Rich Products Corp. and FSIS are concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers' freezers.
Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.