The Recall Desk
Agency classPublic Health AlertOur severity:HighUSDA FSIS·PHA-08072020-01·Announced 2020-08-07

USDA Issues Public Health Alert for Blue Grass Sausage Due to Listeria

USDA issued a public health alert for Blue Grass Provisions ready-to-eat sausages due to possible Listeria contamination. Products were produced in April 2020 and are past their use-by dates.

The agency’s classification

USDA FSIS: Public Health Alert

Public Health Alert is a warning FSIS issues when there is a food-safety concern but a recall is not requested, typically because the affected product is no longer available for purchase.

This is the agency’s own classification, taken from its notice. The severity score below is our assessment, not the agency’s. How recall classes work

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).

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 illness, which aligns with the rubric criteria for a High severity score.

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert for ready-to-eat smoked sausage products produced by Bluegrass Provisions Co. in Crescent Springs, Kentucky. The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. FSIS did not request a formal recall because it is believed that all products are no longer in commerce and are past their use or freeze by dates.

The affected items were produced on April 22, 2020, and include 14-oz. packages of “BLUE GRASS METTWURST,” “WALNUT CREEK FOODS Smoked Sausage,” Lidl “SMOKED BRATWURST,” and Lidl “SMOKED BRATWURST WITH CHEESE.” All products bear the establishment number “EST. 7417” and had a use or freeze by date of July 23, 2020. These items were shipped to distributors and retail locations in Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, and Virginia. The contamination was discovered through routine testing, which showed one product was contaminated, with others potentially affected by cross-contamination.

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 consumers who have purchased these products not to consume them. Products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. FSIS also advises all consumers to reheat ready-to-eat products until steaming hot.

The recalled product

Product
FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Ready to Eat Sausage Products due to Possible Listeria Contamination
Brand
Blue Grass Provisions Co. Inc.
Manufacturer
Blue Grass Provisions Co. Inc.
Category
Food — Ready-to-Eat Meat
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed in 4 states:

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