WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - Cargill Turkey Products voluntarily recalled about
16.7 million pounds of turkey products that may be contaminated
with the potentially deadly bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, the
company said on Thursday.
Cargill Turkey
Products' nationwide recall of its ready-to-eat poultry products
produced in Waco, Texas, makes it one of the largest meat recalls
in history. The Arkansas turkey processor is a division of Cargill,
the largest privately held corporation in the United States.
Cargill said
in a statement that the poultry products were produced from May
1 to Dec. 11. They were distributed nationwide and to two other
countries through grocery stores, restaurants and institutions.
Mark Klein,
Cargill Turkey Products spokesman, told Reuters that only a small
amount of its products was exported to Venezuela and Iceland.
The privately
owned company said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the US Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS) were investigating 25 cases of illnesses possibly
linked to the tainted turkey products, most of which occurred
since July 2000.
``Even though
CDC and FSIS's study isn't completed, the preliminary results
convinced us that it was in the best interest of consumers and
our customers to voluntarily initiate this recall,'' John O'Carroll,
president of Cargill Turkey Products, said in a statement.
``If consumers
have any of the recalled products, they should not eat them, but
return them to the point of purchase,'' he added.ONE OF THE LARGEST
MEAT RECALLS IN HISTORY
Listeria can
be fatal for small children, the elderly and those with weak immune
systems. The bacteria can cause high fever, neck stiffness, nausea
and stillbirths in pregnant women.
Until now,
the largest recall in history was recorded by Michigan firm Thorn
Apple Valley in January 1999. The meat processor recalled 30 million
pounds of hot dogs surpassing the previous record of 25 million
pounds of tainted ground beef recalled by Hudson Foods Inc. in
1997.
An estimated
2,500 infections caused by Listeria occur in the United States
annually, a relatively small number compared with infections caused
by salmonella, campylobacter and other types of bacteria.
But Listeria
ranks among the most deadly, with 92% of those infected requiring
hospitalization and 20% dying, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
The company
said some of the products were sold at retail grocery stores in
packages that can be identified by consumers.
Cargill Turkey
Products said the Waco facility sold some products in bulk that
were sliced at restaurants and would not be readily identifiable
by consumers. Cargill Turkey Products has contacted establishments
that purchased those products, which are being removed and returned.
Cargill said
the identifiable products carry the establishment number P-635
and include:SLICED PRODUCTS
-- Owen's
Hickory Smoked Pre-Sliced Turkey Breast, fresh
-- Plantation Fiesta Pre-Sliced Turkey Breast, fresh
-- Mesquite Smoked Pre-Sliced Turkey Breast, fresh and frozen
-- Pre-Sliced Smoke banquet-style Turkey Breast, fresh and frozen
-- Black Forest Turkey Ham, fresh
-- Pre-Sliced Turkey Pastrami, fresh and frozen
-- Pre-Sliced Star Turkey Breast
-- Riverside Pre-Sliced Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast, fresh and
frozen
-- Pre-Sliced Oven Prepared Turkey Breast, frozen
-- Honeysuckle White Pre-Sliced Oven Prepared Turkey, fresh and
frozenUNSLICED PRODUCTS
-- Dine Rite Picnic Dark Turkey, fresh and frozen
-- Old South Turkey Ham, fresh
-- Plantation Cajun Fried Turkey, frozen
-- Honeysuckle White Cajun-Style Fried Whole Turkey, frozen
-- Boar's Head Our Premium Low Salt Turkey, frozen
-- Golden Catering Skin-on Turkey Breast, fresh
-- Carmel Colored Our Premium Turkey Breast, fresh
-- Our Premium Low Salt Skinless Turkey Breast, fresh
-- Smoked Turkey Breast, fresh
-- Oil Browned Chicken Breast, fresh
-- Oven Prepared Skinless Turkey Breast, fresh
-- Smoked Chicken Breast, fresh.
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