More than 200 schools may be affected by recall of 11.7 million pounds of meat over listeria: Complete list by state

Earlier this month, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that over 11.7 million pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products made by BrucePac were being recalled due to possible listeria contamination. The affected products, which were produced between May 31 and October 8 this year, were shipped nationwide and distributed to a number of establishments, restaurants, institutions and schools.

The agency informed that the issue was discovered during routine product testing of finished poultry products. “FSIS is working diligently to identify all recalled products that were distributed to consumers,” the agency states on the BrucePac recall page. Affected products may also “be on store shelves or in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers,” warns the agency.

“These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” FSIS advises. So far, there have been no confirmed reports of illness related to the products.

More than 200 schools may be affected by recall of 11.7 million pounds of meat over listeria: Complete list by state

FSIS has released a preliminary list of over 200 schools in Washington DC and sixteen states including Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The agency informed that the affected products were purchased directly by the schools and were not part USDA’s National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. FSIS will continue to update the recall website as information becomes available.

What is Listeria, how dangerous is it and what are the symptoms?

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause severe infections which can be fatal in young children and frail or elderly people as well as others with weakened immune systems. It can also lead to pregnant women having miscarriages and stillbirths.

It may result in short-term illness in healthy individuals with symptoms including high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Basic symptoms are similar to what can be experienced with usual infetions from food.

The serious symptoms for listeria are if the bacteria infects beyond your gut. If it reaches the bloodstream, the bactera can damage your central nervous system. This can result in symptoms such as confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Clearly these are serious symptoms and medical assistance is necessary. At this stage of the illness, there is a 20-30 percent chance of death.