Barber Foods announced that it would recall over 1.7 million pounds of frozen chicken products over concerns that the items may be contaminated with Salmonella.
According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), more than six people from Wisconsin and Minnesota landed in a hospital after consuming the company’s products in the last three months.
The company disclosed the recall on July 2. Back then nearly 60,000 of pounds of frozen food items were slated to be removed from stores. But now Barber Foods decided to expand even more the recall because more cases of Salmonella infections were detected among its customers.
The recall will affect the frozen stuffed or non-stuffed chicken items sold by the company including Chicken Broccoli Cheese, Chicken Fingers, the cordon bleu line, Ham and Cheese, Chicken tenders, and Chicken Kiev brands. You can get a full list of the recalled products on the USDA’s official website.
All products were produced between Feb. 17 and May 20 and were available for sale across the U.S. and Canada. The FSIS revealed that the patients got sick after consuming the company’s products between April 5 and June 23, 2015. Yet, usually first symptoms emerge within 12 to 72 hours after the exposure.
The recalled products sell date ranges from April 28 to July 21, 2016, while the lot code displayed on them is 0951132202, 0950512101, or 0950292102. The FSIS said that customers who have doubts about the products should call Barber Foods at (844) 564-5555.
Salmonella is one of the most common foodborne diseases. But while the bacteria can be deadly to poultry, in humans they generate a wide range of complications that can get worse if the patient belongs to a risk group. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that those risk groups are children, pregnant women, the elderly, and other people with a weak immune system.
The most common symptoms of Salmonella infection are stomach pains, diarrhea, nausea, fever, and vomiting. Usually, patients recover after four to seven days, but in severe cases they need to be hospitalized.
The USDA also recommends a lot of care when handling raw chicken products. People should use clean kitchen utensils, wash their hands before and after touching raw poultry meat, and clean the surfaces that came in contact with the meat. Moreover, in order to kill the bacteria poultry must be cooked thoroughly.
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