Chicken Recall Expands Over Listeria Concerns

OHIO — Due to concerns over possible Listeria contamination, a sweeping recall of Tyson chicken products has expanded to include nearly 9 million pounds of food.

The recall includes frozen, fully cooked products and private label products for customers. The products were distributed nationwide. Each package of the affected retail products has the establishment code P-7089.

The initial recall included approximately 8.49 million pounds of chicken, but has grown to include 8.95 million pounds of chicken. The recalled products and product codes remain the same, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The recalled chicken was sent to retailers and institutions like hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants, schools and Department of Defense locations, the USDA said.

On June 9, two people became ill with listeriosis, which is caused by exposure to the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USDA discovered there is evidence linking the illnesses to precooked chicken produced at Tyson Foods.

"The epidemiologic investigation identified three listeriosis illnesses, including one death, between April 6, 2021 and June 5, 2021," the USDA said. "During routine sample collection, FSIS collected two precooked chicken samples from two establishments that are closely related genetically to Listeria monocytogenes from ill people. One of the samples was collected at Tyson Foods Inc. FSIS is continuing to work with federal and state public health partners to determine if there are additional illnesses linked to these products."

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, according to USDA.