US-based Tip Top Poultry is recalling 135,810lb of fully cooked chicken products as they may have been contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the products that are subject to the recall include frozen, diced and mechanically separated ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken products.
With an establishment number ‘P-17453’ inside the USDA mark of inspection, the RTE chicken products were produced on 21 January and were shipped to hotels, restaurants and institutions across the country.
The issue was identified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which then notified FSIS on 17 August, stating that a product produced by Tip Top Poultry was tested positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes.
The Public Health Agency of Canada and the CFIA are investigating an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes.
As part of the investigation process, an RTE diced chicken product was collected as a sample.
The Canadian public health and food safety partners are currently carrying out investigations.
Listeria can cause severe and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems.
Additionally, the listeria organism can result in short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea in healthy individuals, and cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The recall is categorised as Class I, which indicates that consumption of the product could cause severe and adverse health consequences or death.
FSIS is also concerned that some products may be in restaurant freezers and has advised restaurants not to serve them.
Consumers have been encouraged not to consume the products and to either throw them away or return to the place of purchase.
In July, Growers Express issued a voluntary recall of select vegetable products due to possible listeria monocytogenes contamination.
