Salmonella Outbreak Leads To Recall Of Ground Turkey In Boulder

BOULDER, CO -- Butterball is recalling 78,164 pounds of ground turkey that may be contaminated with a strain of Salmonella that has been linked to an outbreak that has sickened people in two states. The turkey was shipped nationwide, including in Colorado.

The turkey was produced last year, but the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said it may still be in people’s freezers. The health risk of eating the turkey is high, according to the agency.

“Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them," the USDA said in a statement. “These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”

The Food Safety Inspection Service discovered the problem with the prepackaged raw turkey in cooperation with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Wisconsin health and agriculture officials. Five people have been sickened by the outbreak, including four people from the same Wisconsin household. Wisconsin officials collected three intact Butterball ground turkey samples from the residence.

The state where the fifth person lives was not named.

The ground turkey possibly tainted with Salmonella Schwarzengrund includes:

• 48-ounce plastic-wrapped tray with Butterball Everyday Fresh Ground Turkey with Natural Flavoring (85 percent lean / 15 percent fat) with a sell or freeze-by date of July 26, 2018, and UPC codes 22655-71555 or 22655-71557 represented on the label.

• 48-ounce plastic-wrapped tray with “Butterball Everyday Fresh Ground Turkey with Natural Flavoring (93 percent lean / 7 percent fat) with a sell or freeze-by date of July 26, 2018, lot code 8188 and UPC code 22655-71556 represented on the label.

• 16-ounce plastic-wrapped tray with “Butterball Everyday Fresh Ground Turkey with Natural Flavoring (85 percent lean / 15 percent fat) with a sell or freeze-by date of July 26, 2018, lot code 8188 and UPC code 22655-71546 represented on the label.

• 16-ounce plastic-wrapped tray with “Butterball Everyday Fresh Ground Turkey with Natural Flavoring (93 percent lean / 7 percent fat) with a sell or freeze-by date of July 26, 2018, lot code 8188 and UPC codes 22655-71547 or 22655-71561 represented on the label,

• 48-ounce plastic-wrapped tray containing “Kroger Ground Turkey Fresh (85 percent lean / 15 percent fat) with a sell or freeze-by date of July 26, 2018 lot code 8188, and UPC code 111141097993 represented on the label.

• 48-ounce plastic-wrapped tray containing “Food Lion 15 percent Fat Ground Turkey with Natural Flavorings” with a sell or freeze-by date of July 26, 2018, lot code 8188 and UPC code 3582609294 represented on the label.

View the affected labels here.

Eating food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever, occurring within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. Illnesses typically last four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment; however, in some cases, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient requires hospitalization.

Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible.

This report was written by Patch national staffer Beth Dalbey.

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