Thousands of pounds of frozen breakfasts specifically marketed to frail or housebound elderly people and delivered to them through meal programs have been recalled for potential Listeria contamination. People who are elderly or who are already sick are especially susceptible to potentially fatal complications of listeriosis.

The frozen meal recalls are part of the larger Pinnacle Foods waffle recall, which included the well-known Aunt Jemima and Hungry Man brands, as well as store-brand products sold at Save-A-Lot. The waffles are the component that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

What to look for: Frozen breakfasts and other meals that include waffles from the brands Traditions and Golden Gourmet.

• Golden Gourmet Waffles, Turkey Sausage Patty with Sliced Apple Seasoned w/Brown Sugar and Cinnamon with lot codes of 2016355, 2016363, 2016364 and 2016362, and “use by” dates of 06/21/18, 06/28/18, 06/29/18 and 06/30/18.

• Traditions Creamy Chicken Patty & Waffle with Four Seasons Vegetables and Cabbage, with sell by dates of 6/6/2017, 7/13/2017, 8/15/2017, 10/12/2017, 12/21/2017 and 4/11/2018.

• Traditions Creamy Chicken Patty & Waffle with Rib Meat with Cinnamon Flavored Sweet Potatoes and Seasoned Green Beans with sell by dates of 10/12/2017, 11/18/2017, 12/21/2017, 1/26/2018, 1/30/2018 and 3/1/2018.

• Traditions Creamy Chicken Patty & Waffle with Cinnamon Flavored Sweet Potatoes and Four Seasons Vegetables with sell by dates of 12/9/2017, 12/21/2017, 1/26/2018 and 1/30/2018.

• Traditions Turkey Ham & Waffle Cured Turkey Thigh meat Chunked and Formed with Fruit Cocktail and Hash Brown with sell by dates of 12/12/2017, 1/21/2018, 1/30/2018, 3/16/2018, 3/21/2018, 4/3/2018, 4/5/2018, 4/18/2018, 4/26/2018.

• Traditions Oatmeal with Waffle and Sausage Patty with sell by date of 10/14/2017.

What to do: Return the meals to the agency that delivered them or the place of purchase, or throw them away. If you have any questions, call 229-389-2392 for Golden Gourmet products, and 601-420-8847 for Traditions products.

Traditions makes meals for senior nutrition programs like Meals on Wheels, as well as packaged meals for retirement homes, jails and prisons, mental health facilities, and for hospital to give patients when they’re discharged.

Golden Gourmet is a competing company that makes similar meal packages for the same markets.

Home meal delivery programs provide frozen or shelf-stable meals to clients in case of inclement weather or other emergencies, and these are specially designed for elderly clients.

There have been no confirmed illnesses from any of the waffles, but it’s overwhelming to think about how one facility making potentially contaminated waffles branches out across the whole packaged food distribution system, reaching from waffles marketed to small children to nursing homes.

Symptoms of potential infection with Listeria include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. These are sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, but not always.

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