Concerns about the dangerous Listeria pathogen have prompted a recall of stuffed beef products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) just announced. The problem was discovered during routine FSIS testing. Mosul Kubba, of Chicago, Illinois, is recalling approximately 1,100 pounds of stuffed, layered beef products due to potential contamination […]
Concerns about the dangerous Listeria pathogen have prompted a recall of stuffed beef products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) just announced. The problem was discovered during routine FSIS testing.
Mosul Kubba, of Chicago, Illinois, is recalling approximately 1,100 pounds of stuffed, layered beef products due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a sometimes-deadly food borne bacteria. The recall has been deemed a Class I by the FSIS, its most severe, and in response to a health hazard situation in which there exists a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
The fully cooked, ready-to-eat, halal beef products were produced on March 20, 2012 and shipped to a single distributor in Detroit, Michigan. Case labels or packaging may bear the case code 12082, as well as establishment number “EST. 21576” inside the USDA mark of inspection. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at: www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp.
The following products are subject to recall:
• Two-pound vacuum-packed packages containing two 10-inch pieces of “Kubba of Wheat”
• 20-pound cases, each containing 10 two-pound packages of “Kubba of Wheat.
To date, neither FSIS nor Mosul Kubba have received any reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products. As we’ve long written, however, it is important to bear in mind that Listeria thrives in cold environments, such as refrigerators, and has an incubation period of up to 70 days.
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 also lead to neurological effects and cardio respiratory failure in adults.
Mosul Kubba’s general manager, Rane Hermiz, can be reached at 1.773.727.9959. 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. “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 l0:00