WASHINGTON, Jan 2--The Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today that Cargill Turkey Products has voluntarily added approximately 195,000 pounds of "HoneySuckle White Hickory Smoked Turkey Ham" to the list of ready-to-eat poultry products recalled on December 14, 2000. The products, produced at Cargill’s facility in Waco, Texas, may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The "HoneySuckle White Hickory Smoked Turkey Ham," fresh, was distributed to retail establishments in Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, and to institutions in Minnesota.

The product was produced from May 1 to December 11, 2000 and is marked with the establishment number "P-635." A "Use or freeze by" date of "02 26 1W" (indicating Feb. 26, 2001) or earlier is on the package.

Cargill Turkey Products recalled 16.7 million pounds of ready-to-eat poultry products on Dec 14 for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination after state health departments reported illnesses to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FSIS and the CDC are currently studying these illnesses. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

"Because of the potential for foodborne illness, we urge consumers to check to see if they have purchased any of these products," said Thomas J. Billy, FSIS administrator. "If they find the recalled products, consumers should not eat them, but return them to the point of purchase. Consumers may also wish to ask delis and restaurants if purchased products are subject to the recall."

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. 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 weak immune systems--infants, the frail or elderly, and persons with chronic disease, with HIV infection, or taking chemotherapy.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Cargill Turkey Products at (888) 621- 2717, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information is also available on the company’s website at http://www.plantation-foods.com or at http://www.honeysucklewhite.com. Media with questions may contact Mark Klein, Cargill communication manager, at (952) 742–6211. Media with questions about illnesses can contact the CDC press office at (404) 639-3286.

Consumers with food safety questions can phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The hotline can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday, and recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

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NOTE: Access news releases and other information at the FSIS Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov

Updated complete list of products subject to recall:

The sliced products that consumers may have purchased at retail are:

·          Owen’s Hickory Smoked Pre-Sliced Turkey Breast, fresh

·          Plantation

·          Fiesta Pre-Sliced Turkey Breast, fresh

·          Mesquite Smoked Pre-Sliced Turkey Breast, fresh and frozen

·          Pre-Sliced Smoke Banquet-style Turkey Breast, fresh and frozen

·          Black Forest Turkey Ham, fresh

·          Pre-Sliced Turkey Pastrami, fresh and frozen

·          Pre-Sliced Star Turkey Breast  

·          Riverside

·          Pre-Sliced Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast, fresh and frozen

·          Pre-Sliced Oven Prepared Turkey Breast, frozen

·          Honeysuckle White Pre-Sliced Oven Prepared Turkey, fresh and frozen

Unsliced products include:

·          HoneySuckle White Hickory Smoked Turkey Ham, fresh

·          Dine Rite Picnic Dark Turkey, fresh and frozen

·          Old South Turkey Ham, fresh

·          Plantation Cajun Fried Turkey, frozen

·          Honeysuckle White Cajun-Style Fried Whole Turkey, frozen

The following products may have been distributed at deli counters, restaurants or institutions:

·          Boar’s Head

·          Our Premium Low Salt Turkey, frozen

·          Golden Catering Skin-on Turkey Breast, fresh

·          Carmel Colored Our Premium Turkey Breast, fresh

·          Our Premium Low Salt Skinless Turkey Breast, fresh

·          Smoked Turkey Breast, fresh

·          Oil Browned Chicken Breast, fresh

·          Oven Prepared Skinless Turkey Breast, fresh

·          Smoked Chicken Breast, fresh.

Other products were sold in bulk and would not be labeled at the point of purchase.

LISTERIA PRECAUTIONS

People at risk for listeriosis and their family members or individuals preparing food for them should:

Reheat until steaming hot the following types of ready-to-eat foods: hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented and dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry products. Thoroughly reheating food can help kill any bacteria that might be present. If you cannot reheat these foods, do not eat them.

Wash hands with hot, soapy water after handling these types of ready-to-eat foods. (Wash for at least 20 seconds.) Also wash cutting boards, dishes, and utensils. Thorough washing helps eliminate any bacteria that might get on your hands or other surfaces from food before it is reheated.

Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined or Mexican-style cheese. You can eat hard cheeses, processed cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt.

Do not drink raw, unpasteurized milk or eat foods made from it, such as unpasteurized cheese.

Observe all expiration dates for perishable items that are precooked or ready-to-eat.