NC firm recalls chicken salad products due to possible Listeria contamination

From the press release:

Bost Distributing Company doing business as Harold Food Company, a Bear Creek, N.C. establishment, is recalling approximately 1,200 pounds of chicken salad products. The products contain eggs that are the subject of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall due to concerns about contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The following products are subject to recall:

30-lb. boxes of “Harold Food Co. Grand Strand Deluxe Chicken Salad.”

Each box has a “Sell By” date of 2/15/2012 and bears the establishment number “P-20479” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were sent to a distributor in South Carolina for further distribution to retail establishments in North Carolina and South Carolina. The chicken salad products may have been repackaged as sandwiches under a brand other than Harold Food Co. and no longer bear the identifying information listed above.

Through a follow-up investigation of the FDA’s recall of hard-cooked eggs sold by Michael Foods Egg Products Co., it was determined that Bost Distributing Company had received hard-cooked eggs that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The chicken salad products contain the recalled eggs and are the subject of this FSIS recall. FSIS, FDA, and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify that recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. 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.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.

Consumers and media with questions about the recall should contact Bost Distributing Company’s General Manager, Jeff Bennett, at (919) 775-5931.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at www.AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. “Ask Karen” live chat services are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 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 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.