Minnesota Firm Recalls Meat and Poultry Products for Possible Listeria Contamination

Buddy's Kitchen photo.

Buddy’s Kitchen photo.

WASHINGTON – There is a Class I recall for certain Buddy’s Kitchen food items. With a Class I, there, “[I]s a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

Buddy’s Kitchen, a Burnsville, Minn. establishment, is recalling approximately 62,488 pounds of meat and poultry products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

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.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn.

In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems.

Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.

The meat and poultry breakfast products were produced on various dates from July 16, 2014 through Sept. 25, 2014, and then shipped to distributors, retail locations, and airlines nationwide. The following products are subject to recall:

  1. “Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Omelet with Seasonal Tid-Bit Potatoes & Turkey Buffet Sausage Link” trays with the production codes “07/16/14 9”, “08/08/14 9” and “08/27/14 9”.
  2. “Savory Scrambled Eggs with Seasoned Red Skin Potatoes and Turkey Buffet Links” with the production codes “09/19/14 9” and “09/22/14 9”.
  3. “Garden Omelet w/ Parslied Potatoes & Chicken Sausage Links” with the production codes “07/16/14 9”, “07/17/14 9”, “07/18/14 9”, “07/22/14 9”, “07/25/14 9”, “08/22/14 9”, “08/25/14 9”, “09/02/14 9”, “09/09/14 9” and “09/16/14 9”.
  4. “Fiesta Scramble Bowl with Sausage Links” with the production code “10I14 9”.
  5. “Breakfast Skillet Burrito with eggs, sausage and cheese” with the production codes “18G14 2”, “06I14 4”, “16G14 4”, “17G14 2”, “07H14 4”, “20H14 2”, “21H14 4”, “22H14 4” and “25H14 4”.

Case labels or packaging may bear the establishment number “EST. 4226” or “P-4226” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

FSIS recommends the following safety guidelines:

  1. Wash hands with warm, soapy water before and after handling raw meat and poultry for at least 20 seconds.
  2. Wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water. Immediately clean spills.
  3. Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, bologna or other deli meats unless reheated until steaming hot.
  4. Do not eat refrigerated pate, meat spreads from a meat counter or smoked seafood found in the refrigerated section of the store. Foods that do not need refrigeration, like canned tuna and canned salmon, are safe to eat. Refrigerate after opening.
  5. Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk and do not eat foods that have unpasteurized milk in them.
  6. Do not eat salads made in the store, such as ham salad, chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad or seafood salad.
  7. Do not eat soft cheeses, such as Feta, queso blanco, queso fresco, Brie, Camembert cheeses, blue-veined cheeses and Panela, unless it is labeled as made with pasteurized milk.
  8. Use precooked or ready-to-eat food as soon as you can. L. monocytogenes can grow in the refrigerator. The refrigerator should be 40º F or cooler and the freezer 0º F or colder Use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature of your refrigerator.