Stop & Shop Issues Recall for Listeria Tainted Chicken

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company is voluntarily recalling four types of prepared chicken due to potential <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/listeria">Listeria contamination.  When notified by the supplier, Stop & Shop immediately removed all recalled products from sale.  Stop & Shop received no reports of illness.  The affected products were sold at the deli counter, in bulk and pre-packaged, in various weights and covers all of the following items, sold on or after February 26, 2008:

•    Breaded Chicken Cutlet labeled:  GB BRD CHIX CUTLETS
•    Breaded Chicken Cutlet labeled: GB BR CHIX CUTLTS
•    Chicken Marsala labeled:  GB CHIX MARSALA
•    Grilled Lemon Chicken labeled:  GB GR LEMON CHIX
•    Grilled Lemon Chicken labeled:  GB GR LNI CHCKN
•    Grilled Teriyaki Chicken labeled:  GB GR TERIYKI CHIX
•    Grilled Teriyaki Chicken labeled: GB GR TRYKI CHICKN)

Stop & Shop customers should dispose of these products immediately and return to any Stop & Shop store for a full refund.  Customers who consumed this product are advised to consult their healthcare provider.  Customers with questions about the recalled products may phone Customer  Service at (800) 767-7772 Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. or visit the Website:  http://www.stopandshop.com.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause Listeriosis, a serious although relatively rare infection.  Listeriosis outbreaks have been associated with consuming unpasteurized or raw milk, contaminated soft cheeses, vegetables, and ready-to-eat meats.  The Listeria bacterium is found in soil and water.  Animals can carry the bacterium without appearing ill, contaminating foods of animal origin such as meats and dairy products.  The bacterium has been found in processed foods that become contaminated after processing, such as soft cheeses and deli counter cold cuts.  The disease typically affects pregnant women—often resulting in stillborn deaths or miscarriage—newborns and those with weakened immune systems.  Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea.  If infection spreads to the nervous system, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur.

In 1998, 15 deaths and six miscarriages were linked to Listeria traced to meat shipped from the Bil Mar factory near Zeeland and in recent months, Listeria has been the focus of a number of outbreaks, including at least three cases in North Carolina which were linked to soft cheeses from a variety of sources and an outbreak at the Whittier Farms dairy in Massachusetts where four people died and more were sickened from consuming products produced at the dairy.  In January, in Olympia, Washington, the Ca Rem #1 Ice Cream, SeaTac voluntarily recalled its coconut-flavored popsicles when routine sampling and analysis by the Washington State Department of Agriculture revealed the presence of Listeria.  In February, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) alerted the public to avoid consuming smoked pork and beef bratwurst produced by J&B Meats, of Barnesville, Minnesota when a routine product sampling revealed contamination with the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.  Earlier this week, Meijer Inc. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, pulled 2,184 pounds of frozen entrees after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) alerted the company that microbiological sample testing showed the food could be tainted with Listeria.