USDA Recalls Beef Meatballs With Possible Listeria Contamination

Rich Products Corporation is recalling about 3,420 pounds of beef meatball products that may have listeria contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced. Some of the items were shipped to distributors in Florida.

The ready-to-eat frozen beef meatball items were produced on Dec. 17, 2017. The following products are subject to recall:

• 36-pound cases containing six 6-pound bags of “Member’s Mark Casa Di Bertacchi Italian Style Beef Meatballs” with a “Best if Used By 17 Dec. 2018” label and a lot code of 15507351 on the packaging.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 5336” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items also were shipped to distributers in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

The problem was discovered on Jan. 24, 2018 when the USDA received notification from the firm that they shipped the adulterated product.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems.

Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.

USDA and the company are concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers' freezers.
Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact Customer Care at Rich Products Corporation at 1-800-356-7094.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the USDA virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. 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 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

Image via USDA