WASHINGTON – White Castle launched a voluntary recall of a limited number of frozen burger products on concerns the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported.

Affected products include frozen 6 pack cheeseburgers, frozen 6 pack hamburgers, frozen 6 pack jalapeno cheeseburgers, frozen 16 pack hamburgers and frozen 16 pack cheeseburgers.

The affected products on shelves at select retailers have best by dates ranging from 04 Aug 2020 to 17 Aug 2020. FDA said any products with a best by date before or after these dates are not included in the recall. To date, there have been no reports of any illness associated with these products.

White Castle discovered the problem during a quality assurance test. The company said a recent sample taken from one frozen sandwich manufacturing facility showed a presence of Listeria monocytogenes. The company said no products have been shipped from the facility since the problem was identified, and all affected products have been identified for destruction.

“Our number one focus is the safety of our customers and our team members, and as a family owned business, we want to hold ourselves to the absolute highest standards of accountability in all aspects of our business — and especially food safety,” said Jamie Richardson, White Castle vice president. “This voluntary recall is precautionary and is the right thing to do.”

Additional steps taken to address the problem include:

• Intensive sanitation and cleaning with guidance from outside food safety experts.
• Aggressively elevating already strong food safety testing and manufacturing guidelines.
• Conducting comprehensive testing to confirm no presence of Listeria in the facility.

Listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. However, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The company urged customers who may have purchased any of the affected products to dispose of them or return them to the store where they were purchased for an exchange or full refund and to consult with their physician regarding any medical questions. Customers may also contact White Castle at 1-800-843-2728.