The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has released a preliminary list of schools that received ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that were recalled over fears of Listeria contamination.
The products were produced by a BrucePac processing facility in Durant, Oklahoma, and sold nationwide under familiar brand names such as Trader Joe’s, Jenny Craig, Atkins, Kroger, 7-Eleven, and many more.
The list contains more than 200 schools across 16 states and the District of Columbia. The states are:
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
The list (available here as a PDF file) does not say which schools received which specific products. The recall was first announced last week and has since been expanded to include almost 12 million pounds of product.
Earlier this week, the USDA said it had discovered that schools were among the institutions that received the products.
A spokesperson for the USDA told Fast Company that meat and poultry facilities are inspected during every shift. In this case, the Listeria contamination was discovered during routine testing of the finished product. The products sent to schools were not part of the USDA’s National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, as schools often source food from other vendors.
BrucePac has released its own statement noting that no illnesses associated with this recall have been reported.
The FSIS says it will continue to update both the school and retail product lists as more information becomes available.
Listeria infection, or listeriosis, can cause symptoms like fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, along with diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues. It can lead to miscarriages or premature birth during pregnancy and can be fatal for those with weakened immune systems. Antibiotics are used for treatment.