You may remember the name Foster Farms from the year-long salmonella outbreak that authorities finally linked to the company this past July. During a recent inspection, routine tests turned up Listeria Monocytogenes bacteria in frozen chicken strips shipped to warehouses in California, Texas, Utah, and Washington state.

What should consumers look for in their freezers? The affected chicken products are frozen pre-cooked chicken breast strips in a 3.5-pound resealable bag, and would have been purchased at Costco or Stater Brothers warehouse stores. They’ll have the establishment number P-33901 in the USDA inspection emblem, and the “best by” date is August 5, 2015. The strips were packed on August 4, 2014.

While frozen pre-cooked products like these might say “ready to eat” on the package, the U.S. Department of Agriculture still advises consumers to reheat such products “until steaming hot” to kill any pathogens in cases exactly like this one.

The USDA doesn’t know of any illnesses that can be traced directly to any chicken that made it onto retail shelves and consumer plates. That doesn’t mean that no one has become ill: it just means that no illnesses have been conclusively matched from samples of bodily fluids taken from a person sick with listeriosis to the chicken strips, with evidence that the person ate the chicken. If that’s gross, well, foodborne illness is gross by its nature.

Listeriosis can be a serious and potentially fatal illness, which is particularly dangerous to the very old, the very young, people with compromised immune systems, and pregnant women. Early symptoms of infection can resemble the flu, and sometimes include diarrhea. Infection can occur up to two months after consuming contaminated food.

If you have any questions about the recall or about chicken you bought that may be affected, give Foster Farms a call at (800) 338-8051.

Louisiana Firm Recalls Frozen Chicken Breast Strips For Possible Listeria Monocytogenes Contamination [USDA]
LIMITED VOLUNTARY RECALL OF FOSTER FARMS FROZEN COOKED CHICKEN BREAST STRIPS SOLD AT SELECT COSTCO AND STATER BROTHERS RETAIL STORES DUE TO POTENTIAL PRESENCE OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES [Foster Farms]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.