(The Epoch Times)—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert for multiple ready-to-eat meals due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the agency said in a Sept. 25 statement.
One of the products cited in the alert is the Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs and Marinara Sauce with “best if used by” dates of Sept. 22, 24, 25, 29, 30, and Oct. 1. Sold at Walmart, the items bear 47718 or 50784 establishment numbers.
The second item is Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo with “best if used by” dates of Sept. 20, 24, and 27, and establishment number, P-45288.
Consuming foods contaminated with Listeria may lead to listeriosis, a “serious infection” that mostly affects people with weakened immune systems, the elderly, pregnant women, and newborns, the agency said.
* * *This pasta is not contaminated* * *
“Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn,” FSIS said.
“In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections can occur in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics.”
FSIS advised people who experience flu-like symptoms within two months of consuming the contaminated food to seek medical care.
“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” the agency said.
The Epoch Times reached out to Trader Joe’s and Walmart for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
The public health alert comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a listeria outbreak linked to prepared meals, the CDC said in a Sept. 26 update.
In its Sept. 25 statement, FSIS said that Walmart’s linguine pasta product had tested positive for listeria, with the agency conducting further testing to determine whether this is the same strain as the listeria in the outbreak.
There have so far been 20 cases of infection in the listeria outbreak across 15 states, including 19 hospitalizations and four deaths, according to the CDC update.
FreshRealm chicken fettuccine alfredo meals, the product linked to this outbreak, were sold nationwide at Kroger and Walmart under the Home Chef and Marketside brands. The affected products were recalled in June and are no longer available for sale.
Safeguarding From Infection
In another Sept. 26 statement, the CDC advised people not to eat any of the foods linked to the outbreak.
“Clean your refrigerator, containers, and surfaces that may have touched the affected foods. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces,” the CDC said.
Listeria is more harmful to pregnant women, immunocompromised people, and individuals aged 65 and above because the bacteria are “more likely to spread beyond their gut to other parts of their body, resulting in a severe condition known as invasive listeriosis,” it said.
Symptoms of infection typically start two weeks after the consumption of contaminated food. In some cases, symptoms may begin early or even 10 weeks after eating the food.
Efforts are underway to strengthen food safety measures at the federal level. In February, a group of lawmakers introduced the Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act (EFSIA) to tackle food safety issues, according to a Feb. 4 statement from the office of Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
The bill aims to empower the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect microbial samples from factory farms when there is a public health need or during times of a disease outbreak, his office said at the time.
“Every year, thousands of Americans fall victim to foodborne illnesses. Currently, the FDA lacks the jurisdiction to investigate outbreaks and identify the sources of contaminated food stemming from animal agriculture,” Booker said.
“This bicameral legislation will reduce the prevalence of foodborne diseases by empowering the FDA and other public health agencies to properly respond to and investigate outbreaks when they happen and get contaminated food off our grocery shelves.”
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