Nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat beef and chicken recalled due to listeria outbreak

A major meatpacker has recalled nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat beef and poultry items due to worries that they are contaminated with listeria, according to the federal government.BrucePac, the company based in Durant, Okla whose brand names include Urban Bruce and City Grillers, said it was recalling 9,986,245 pounds of ready-to-eat products that were produced from June 19 of this year until Oct.8, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.“These products were shipped to other establishments and distributors nationwide then distributed to restaurants and institutions,” the agency said on Wednesday.The USDA said it discovered the issue after conducting routine testing of poultry products.

The testing came back positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a species of bacteria that causes infection and could lead to death in severe cases.Food regulators investigated the matter further and found that the bacteria was found in ready-to-eat chicken.As of Thursday, there were no confirmed reports of listeria infections caused as a result of consuming BrucePac-produced meat.The USDA published a full list of products that were recalled.“Restaurants, institutions, and other establishments are urged not to serve or use these products,” the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said on Wednesday.“These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”Meanwhile, a California-based cheese and dairy company has been ordered by the government to cease production after an investigation found that two deaths were caused by consumption of products that were contaminated with listeria.The Justice Department on Wednesday announced that Rizo-López Foods in Modesto, Calif.

would discontinue operations.The company, which specializes in Mexican-style cheeses and other dairy products, had previously operated under several brand names including Don Francisco and La Mexicana.Subscribe to our daily Busines...