No less than a million of raw chicken products will be removed from the market after Barber Foods has announced a recall following the current Salmonella investigation of Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of USDA.
The company, which is based in Portland, Maine, is asking retailers and consumers to return or dispose 1.7 million of raw chicken with stuffing, which they believed to have been contaminated by Salmonella enteritidis, the FSIS has released in an official statement on Sunday, July 12.
These products have been manufactured from February 17 to May 20, 2015. These include:
- 10lb Chicken Tenders Italian Dual Label (2/18/2015)
- 10lb Chicken Tenders Jumbo Crunchie (2/18/2015)
- 12-48oz Chicken Tenders Italian (2/23/2015) with a use-by date of 5/23/2016
- 12-48ox Chicken Fingers (2/24/2015) with a use-by date of 5/24/2015
This isn't the first time that FSIS has announced a recall of Barber Foods products, however. Only July 2, they already released the first recall after 2 patients in the state of Minnesota have been admitted into the hospital due to Salmonella infection believed to be caused by Barber Foods products, particularly their Cordon Bleu and Chicken Kiev products. At least 2 more patients have been diagnosed with the same health condition since then.
The FSIS wants to stress to the public that they should take precautionary measures in handling raw chicken products, from working on kitchen surfaces to avoid cross-contamination and eventually cooking them.
Salmonella infection has a wide range of symptoms including fever and abdominal cramps. When it becomes severe, it can lead to diarrhea and then dehydration. It is especially dangerous for children, elderly, and people with low or compromised immune system. It takes at least 12 hours for the first symptoms to appear while it may take around a week before the patient can be cured. Many of the patients can recover without any form of treatment.
For more details about the recalled products, click here.
