Reser’s Fine Foods expands product recall over Listeria concerns

Reser’s Fine Foods, a US-based producer of fresh and frozen foods, has expanded its 22 October recall of chicken, ham and beef products, as they could potentially be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), these products are being recalled in conjunction with other foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In addition to the 22,800lbs of product recalled on 22 October, the company expanded its withdrawal on 26 October to include foods produced between 5 September and 9 October.

The latest recall includes foods produced between 10 October and 25 October and bearing the establishment number "EST. 13520" or "P-13520" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

While products manufactured at the Topeka, Kansas, salad manufacturing facility, also designated by the plant code #20 after the code date "Use By Nov 03 13 #20", have been withdraw, no other Reser’s Fine Foods manufacturing facilities are involved in the recall.

The affected products were distributed to retail and food service establishments nationwide.

The problem was noticed at the facility during microbiological testing by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Further investigations by the FDA revealed there was potential cross contamination of products with Listeria monocytogenes from product contact surfaces.

There have been no reported illnesses to date due to the consumption of these products, and consumers concerned about an illness have been advised to contact a healthcare provider.