The Recall Desk
HighUSDA FSIS·041-2015·Announced 2015-03-06

Rio Tex Wholesale Meats Recalls Ready-To-Eat Beef Products Due To Listeria

Rio Tex Wholesale Meats is recalling approximately 58,180 pounds of ready-to-eat beef products due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a high-risk pathogen (Listeria monocytogenes) without reported illnesses, which meets the criteria for a High severity score.

Plain-English summary

Rio Tex Wholesale Meats, a Mercedes, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 58,180 pounds of ready-to-eat beef products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall on March 6, 2015. The affected products were produced between March 25, 2014, and February 19, 2015, and include various Hausman Foods and Rio-Tex-Meats beef items such as taco filling, barbacoa, and carne guisada. These products bear the establishment number EST. 13545 inside the USDA mark of inspection and were shipped for hotels, restaurants, and institutional use in Texas.

The recall was initiated after FSIS personnel reviewed historical sampling data in the context of recent intensified verification testing, which revealed multiple Listeria monocytogenes positives. The data showed a recurrence of Lm isolates with indistinguishable Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns over time in environmental samples and on ready-to-eat meat products. This indicates insufficient sanitary measures to prevent contamination of the production environment and the products with Lm.

Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. FSIS advises all consumers to reheat ready-to-eat product until steaming hot. Persons in higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and inform their health care provider about the consumption.

The recalled product

Product
Rio Tex Wholesale Meats Recalls Ready-To-Eat Beef Products Due To Possible Listeria Contamination
Category
Food — Deli / Ready-to-Eat
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed in 1 state:

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