Listeria Prompts Beef Sausage Recall

Fears of Listeria contamination have prompted a beef sausage recall. The Southside Market & BBQ, of Elgin, Texas is recalling about 2,373 pounds of ready-to-eat beef sausage products that may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), wrote KHTS.

The following recalled beef sausage products, which were smoked and fully cooked, were produced on March 5, 2012:

• • Southside Market & BBQ Original Beef Sausage: 16-ounce package, Lot 065-E.
• • Southside Market & BBQ Original Beef Sausage: 16-and 48-ounce packages; Lots 065-A, 065-B, 065-C, and 065-D.
• • Southside Market & BBQ 1882 Hot Recipe Beef Sausage: 16-ounce package, Lot 065-D.

The case labels or packaging may bear the establishment number “EST. 21577” in the USDA Mark of Inspection. The recalled sausage was distributed to retail warehouses in Texas and via Internet sales to California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, and Texas. The problem was discovered during routine FSIS testing, said KHTS.

To date, no reports of illness related to consumption of these products has been received; however, it is important to bear in mind that Listeria, which thrives in cold environments, such as refrigerators, can have a incubation period of up to 70 days.
The FSIS’ retail distribution list(s) concerning this recall will be posted on its website at: www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp.

Bryan Bracewell, CEO of Southside Market & BBQ, can be reached at 1.512.285.3407. Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at www.AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. “Ask Karen” live chat services are available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET). 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 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

The Listeria monocytogenes pathogen can lead to the listeriosis infection, which is potentially fatal and can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhea, and nausea, especially in those with weakened immune systems, infants, and the elderly.

Vulnerable populations, such as the developing fetus, can suffer serious central nervous system problems. The infection can also prompt premature births, or the death of the fetus via miscarriage and stillbirth; pregnant women are 20 times likelier to become infected.

Listeriosis can lead to hearing loss or brain damage in newborns, and can lead to neurological effects and cardio respiratory failure in adults.