FSIS Issues Public Health Alert For Possibly Undercooked Ready-To-Eat Chicken Products That Have Been Incorporated Into Other Food Products - 12/13/16
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is alerting consumers that recalled ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken products produced by National Steak and Poultry, a Owasso, Okla. Establishment P-6010T, have been used or incorporated into other FSIS-regulated products. FSIS does not have confidence in the safety of any subsequently produced products that have used or incorporated the chicken products that were previously recalled by National Steak and Poultry on Nov. 23, 2016, with an expanded recall occurring on Dec. 4, 2016.
National Steak and Poultry originally recalled various chicken products due to possible undercooking. A complete list of these products can be viewed here. Proper cooking of poultry products is essential to eliminate pathogens, such as Salmonella, which are commonly associated with raw poultry products. FSIS became aware that these recalled chicken products were used as an ingredient in other FSIS-regulated products. This occurred prior to National Steak and Poultry identifying that the chicken products may have been undercooked. The Agency is concerned with the safety of any secondary products that used the recalled chicken products. For safety reasons, consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them.
Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc., a Portland, Ore. establishment; Aryzta LLC a Romeoville, Ill. establishment; Nation Pizza Products Limited a Schaumburg, Ill. establishment; and Southwest Products LLC, a San Diego, Calif. establishment, all used or incorporated the recalled chicken products produced by National Steak and Poultry as an ingredient in their own FSIS-regulated products. These establishments were not aware that the recalled poultry may have been undercooked at the time that the recalled poultry was further processed into products for sale to consumers by them. A current list of brands and associated products subject to this Public Health Alert can be found below, and a complete list of products and information can be found here. FSIS will update this list as more information becomes available. [View Labels (PDF Only)]
- Ajinomoto brand “Yakitori Chicken with Japanese-Style Fried Rice”
- Archer Farms brand pizza products containing chicken
- Ferratto’s brand chicken pizza product
- Best Choice brand chicken pizza product
- Nuevo Grille brand chicken quesadilla product
- Schwan’s brand chicken quesadilla product
The products subject to this Public Health Alert bear establishment numbers “P-18356”, “P-2539B”, “P-1682A”, and “P-17417” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to warehouses, distributors, and retail locations Nationwide.
In light of the large volume of product impacted by the recall and the fact that many products affected by the recall now bear different establishment numbers than identified on the original and expanded recall, FSIS is issuing this Public Health Alert so that consumers are aware that the recalled undercooked chicken products by National Steak and Poultry were used as an ingredient in products produced by other FSIS establishments. FSIS will be conducting effectiveness checks to confirm that these products have been removed from commerce.
The original problem with National Steak and Poultry’s various RTE chicken products was discovered on Nov. 14, 2016, when a food service customer complained to the establishment that product appeared to be undercooked.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.
These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume product that has been cooked to the proper temperature and follow cooking instructions provided on the product label. The only way to confirm that product name is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, http://1.usa.gov/1cDxcDQ.
Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.
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* We believe that none of the products being recalled were processed or offered through the national office.
For full details on the recall, please visit this USDA web page.