More Cargill Ground Turkey Recalled Over Salmonella

For the second time in as many months, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing a recall by Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, of Springdale, Arkansas. This second recall involves about 185,000 pounds of ground turkey products that may be contaminated with the dangerous and multi-drug resistant <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/practice_areas/food_poisoning">Salmonella Heidelberg pathogen.

The FSIS has deemed this a Class I recall, which means this recall is a health hazard situation in which there exists a reasonable probability that the use of the recalled product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.

Cargill is recalling the following ground turkey products, which all bear the establishment number “P-963” inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were produced on August 23, 24, 30, and 31 of this year:

Fresh Ground Turkey Chubs

• 16 oz. (1 lb.) Fresh HEB Ground Turkey 85/15; Use or Freeze by Dates: 09/12/2011, 09/13/2011, 09/19/2011, and 09/20/2011.

• 16 oz. (1 lb.) Honeysuckle White 85/15 Fresh Ground Turkey; Use or Freeze by Dates: 09/19/2011, 09/20/2011, and 09/21/2011.

Fresh Ground Turkey Trays

• 19.2 oz. (1.2 lb.) Honeysuckle White 85/15 Ground Turkey; Use or Freeze by Dates: 09/10/2011 and 09/12/2011.

• 48.0 oz. (3 lb.) Kroger Ground Turkey Fresh 85/15; Use or Freeze by Dates: 09/17/2011, 09/18/2011, and 09/19/2011.

• 48.0 oz. (3 lbs.) Honeysuckle White 85/15 Ground Turkey Family Pack; Use or Freeze by Dates: 09/11/2011, 09/12/2011, 09/13/2011, 09/15/2011, 09/17/2011, and 09/18/2011.

• 16 oz. (1 lb.) Honeysuckle White 85/15 Ground Turkey; Use or Freeze by Date of 09/11/2011.

Fresh Ground Turkey Patties

• 16.0 oz. (1 lb.) Honeysuckle White Ground Turkey Patties; Use or Freeze by Date: 09/18/2011.

• 16 oz. (1 lb.) Kroger Ground Seasoned Turkey Patties Fresh 85/15; Use or Freeze by Date: 09/17/2011.

The Salmonella Heidelberg strain involved is the same strain seen in the recent Salmonellosis outbreak that led to the August 3, 2011 recall of ground turkey products. A sample tested positive for the outbreak-related Salmonella strain, including the identical XbaI and BlnI PFGE patterns that match the August 3 outbreak strain.

Cargill Value Added Meats Retail, a unit of Cargill Meat Solutions, just announced it would recall 185,000 pounds of meat produced by the Arkansas plant in August after a USDA sample “yielded low levels” of the same Salmonella strain from the first recall, Cargill said, reported Bloomberg News. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are acting quickly in response to USDA’s sample testing,” said Steve Willardsen, president of Cargill’s turkey-processing business, said, according to Bloomberg News. “There are no known illnesses associated with this positive sample,” Willardsen added. The meat was distributed nationally under the Honeysuckle White, HEB, and Kroger brands, according to Cargill.

Although this recall has not been linked to any illnesses, last month, another Class I recall was put in place following one death, 78 other illnesses, and 22 hospitalizations in 26 states and was linked to ground turkey contaminated to the drug-resistant Salmonella strain. In that case, Cargill recalled a massive 35.7 million pounds of ground turkey and ceased production at the Springdale plant.

Salmonella Heidelberg is a drug resistant strain known to be resistant to three fairly popular antibiotics: ampicillin, tetracycline and streptomycin. When pathogens, such as the foodborne bacteria Salmonella become resistant to antibiotic treatment, treatment options are minimized, treatment becomes significantly more difficult, and patients cannot always be brought back to their presickness state. In some cases, patients, especially in high-risk groups—the elderly, the very young, and those with weakened immune systems—die.