Photo: Liudmyla Chuhunova (Shutterstock)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is urging consumers to check their pantries, refrigerators, and freezers to see whether they contain any of the roughly 87,00 pounds of various ready-to-eat meat products that may be contaminated with harmful bacteria.
Why are the meats being recalled?
During a routine inspection of the Behrmann Meat and Processing Inc. facility in Albers, Illinois, FSIS personnel identified Listeria monocytogenes in both the processing plant, as well as some of the products to come out of it. At this point, there have been no confirmed reports of illness linked to eating the recalled meats.
The Listeria monocytogenes bacteria discovered in the meat can cause listeriosis—an infection that’s especially serious for people with weakened immune systems, including older adults and pregnant individuals. Symptoms of listeriosis can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms.
What meats are being recalled?
So far, FSIS has confirmed that the recalled meats were shipped to retail locations and wholesale distributors in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri. (The full list of retailers and distributors is available here.) FSIS will update the recall notice if the affected meat products are discovered in additional states.
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There are too many recalled meats to mention, but the list includes everything from bacon strips and beef wieners, to summer sausage and pulled pork. A full list of the products—including their package sizes and product codes—can be found on this list. FSIS has also provided this file containing images of the labels of recalled meats.
Though you should check any products you have against the full list, the recalled meats all have two things in common:
They were produced from July 7, 2022, to Sept. 9, 2022. The products all have establishment number “EST 20917” inside the USDA mark of inspection.FSIS expects additional ready-to-eat meat products to be added to the list, and will continue to alert consumers by updating the file containing the products’ labels.
What to do if you’ve purchased the recalled meat
If you have any of the recalled meat products in your possession, do not eat them. Instead, either throw them away or return them to the store where you made the purchase to get a refund.
Anyone with questions about the recall or the meat products involved can contact Connie Haselhorst, vice president of operations at Behrmann Meat and Processing Inc., at (618) 248-5151 or connie@behrmannmeats.com.
