Listeria recall: Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Aldi sold affected products

DURANT, OK – Ready-to-eat salads and wraps sold at Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Aldi are among dozens of products hit by a massive recall due to possible listeria contamination.

In a recall released Wednesday by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, BrucePac of Durant, Oklahoma, said it was recalling 9,986,245 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products after routine testing confirmed they tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

Federal health officials later released a list of 75 products affected by the recall. The three-page item list included various items such as chicken patties, chicken strips, fajita meat and chicken cubes.

On Thursday, the USDA said additional items sold at Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Aldi and HEB are among the products at risk of possible listeria contamination.

New items added to the recall include:

• HEB Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
• HEB Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole
• HEB Texas Ranch-Style Chicken with Ranchero Beans and Mexican-Style Rice
• Trader Joe’s Lemon Chicken Arugula Salad
• Trader Joe’s Tarragon Chicken Lettuce Wrap
• Trader Joe’s Turkey Club Wrap
• Fresh Express Gourmet Cafe Salads – Chicken Caesar, 6.3 oz
• Fresh Express Gourmet Cafe Salads – Santa Fe Style, 6.3 oz
• Little Salad Bar Santa Fe Style Salad, 6.3 oz
• Little Salad Bar Chicken Caesar Salad, 6.3 oz
• Marketside Chicken Caesar Salad, 6.25 oz
• Marketside Chicken Caesar Salad, 12oz
• Marketside Santa Fe Style Chicken Salad, 6.35 oz
• Marketside Southwest Style Salad with Chicken, 11.75 oz

Labels, batch codes and expiration dates of the affected products can be found here.

The alert said the items were manufactured between June 19 and October 8. The products were shipped to other businesses and retailers nationwide and then distributed to restaurants and institutions.

BrucePac produces various meat products including chicken, beef, turkey and pork. The website states that the company serves industrial, restaurant and retail customers.

According to the warning, no illnesses or side effects have been reported.

Consuming food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects pregnant people, people age 65 and older, or those with weakened immune systems. People outside these risk groups are less affected.

Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle pain, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Sometimes they are preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems.

The new recall comes as part of an ongoing investigation into a listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head sausages and liverwurst. The outbreak has killed 10 people and sickened 59 in 19 states in three months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Federal health officials said they were concerned that many of the affected BrucePac products may be available for use in restaurants, institutions and other facilities. These establishments may have used affected meat and poultry in ready-to-eat products that may be on store shelves or in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.

Consumers, restaurants, institutions and other establishments are urged not to serve or use these products. The products should be discarded or returned to the point of purchase.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Jeff Golangco, vice president of business development for BrucePac, at 503-874-3000.