In yet another alarming development in our food system, a food processor that supplies major grocery retailers like Target as well as school lunchrooms and convenience stores has issued a nationwide recall of roughly 12 million pounds of possibly contaminated, ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
BrucePac, an Oregon-based company, issued the sweeping recall late last week after the U.S. Department of Agriculture discovered listeria, a potentially deadly bacteria, during a routine inspection of the company’s processing plant in Durant, Oklahoma.
Initially, the recall only affected 9.9 million pounds of BrucePac foods, including ready-to-eat meat and poultry items produced between June 19, 2024, and October 8, 2024. Although the USDA initiated the recall last week, on Wednesday it expanded the action to include almost 12 million pounds of meat products.
The recall comes just a few weeks after Boar’s Head, Inc., one of the country’s largest suppliers of deli meats and cheeses, recalled some of its meats and some cheeses because of listeria contamination.
Products Used Widely
In a statement, the company said its products are sold or used as ingredients in frozen foods, salads, taquitos, chicken breast strips and wraps; they are sold under different brands at stores including Aldi, Amazon, Kroger’s, Publix, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and several others.
BrucePac products also were sent to some convenience stores like 7-Eleven as well as some school districts, but the USDA doesn’t have a school distribution list yet.
Because their products are used so widely, “we do not have a list of retail products that contain our recalled items,” according to the company’s statement.
At the same time, BrucePac products were shipped nationwide to restaurants and institutional kitchens at some government facilities.
However, the USDA is keeping a running list of retailers, brand names and food items containing the recalled BrucePac products. The recalled products have the serial numbers “51205 or P-51205” inside or under the USDA mark of inspection.
The recall was first issued on October 9. But it was expanded over the weekend when officials determined that the product labels could have different establishment numbers if they were further distributed and processed by other establishments.
No Reports of Illness
There have been no confirmed reports of anyone falling ill or dying after consuming contaminated BrucePac products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.
Listeria can remain on food preparation surfaces, like meat slicers, cutting boards and counters. It can remain on contaminated food even after refrigeration, and can take up to 10 weeks for an infected person to show symptoms.
Listeriosis, the illness it causes, is a potentially fatal infection that can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. It is particularly dangerous to older adults and persons with weakened immune systems, as well as pregnant women and newborns.
Consumers who may have purchased contaminated BrucePac products are advised to throw away the entire product, as well as any food it may have touched. Also, clean your refrigerator and any other surfaces using a process detailed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or email questions to [email protected].
Information on current recalls is available at Foodsafety.gov. And consumers can use the free Food Recalls & Alerts phone app (Apple and Android) to get FDA, USDA and pet food recall notifications on their phones.
