Birth Trauma / Medical Malpractice

Manda Packing Co. has expanded its recall of potentially contaminated meat products to 468,000 pounds of roast beef, ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog head cheese, corned beef, and pastrami, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said Friday.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_028_2013_Expanded/index.asp

Last week the Baker, La., company said it was recalling 20,166 pounds of meat due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_028_2013_Release/index.asp

Friday’s USDA press release on the expanded recall listed just over a half dozen kinds of meat sold under 41 names, and said that “these products may have been sliced at retail delis, and if so will not bear this packaging information.”

The products were shipped for further distribution, for sale at retail, and to retail deli stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

The USDA was alerted to the problem by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, who took an intact sample of cooked roast beef at a retail establishment on April 5, which later tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

The recall is now being expanded because of additional samples from additional production dates which returned positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

The USDA hasn’t received any reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

Manda issued a statement Saturday on the expanded recall.

http://www.mandafinemeats.com/Manda%20Baker%20Recall%20Statement%204-12-13.pdf

“We have been cooperating fully with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” said Josh Yarborough, Manda director of quality assurance and food safety. “We are committed to work with USDA in reviewing and enhancing our food safety system so we can continue to ensure that our products are safe, wholesome and worthy of our brand name. Our customers deserve no less.”

Eating of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease.

“Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis,” the USDA said. “However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.”