Foster Farms is recalling an unknown amount of chicken products from multiple states that may contain Salmonella Heidelberg, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The products subject to recall bear the establishment number 'P6137,' P6137A' or 'P7632' inside the USDA mark of inspection. The chicken products were produced on March 8, 10 and 11, 2014.
The products were shipped to Costco, Foodmaxx, Kroger, Safeway, and other retail stores and distribution centers in California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. A full list of recalled products can be found .
FSIS was notified of a Salmonella Heidelberg illness associated with with the consumption of a boneless, skinless chicken breast product by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 23. Working with the CDC, FSIS determined the illness was linked to the Foster Farms chicken breast.
This is not the first time Foster Farms has been in the forefront of a salmonella outbreak, in October 2013, the USDA reported that Foster Farms chicken caused Salmonella in 18 states. And earlier this year, the Livingston Foster Farms plant was closed briefly due to a cockroach outbreak.
The illness is being monitored and investigated by both the FSIS and CDC. Until this point, there had been no direct evidence linked the outbreak to the Foster Farms product.
Evidence required for a recall includes obtaining case-patient product that tests positive for the same strand Salmonella, packaging on the product that clearly links the product to a specific facility and production date, and records documenting the shipment and distribution of the product from purchase point of the case-patient to the originating facility.
Consumption of food containing Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours of consuming the infected food. The illness usually lasts approximately four to seven days, but most people recover without treatment.
The FSIS reminds consumers the importance of properly handling and cooking raw poultry.
