The Recall Desk
Agency classPublic Health AlertOur severity:HighUSDA FSIS·pha-091715·Announced 2015-09-17

USDA Alerts on Frozen Stuffed Chicken Products Due to Salmonella Contamination

USDA FSIS issued a public health alert for frozen, raw, stuffed chicken products from Aspen Foods due to confirmed Salmonella Enteritidis contamination.

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 (Salmonella) with epidemiologically linked illnesses, fitting the rubric for high-risk pathogens without reported fatalities or FDA Class I classification.

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is alerting consumers that frozen, raw, stuffed, and breaded chicken products produced by Aspen Foods, a division of Koch Poultry Company, have been confirmed to contain the same Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak strain identified in a July 15, 2015 recall. FSIS intensified sampling at the establishment revealed twelve positive results matching the outbreak strain, indicating a systemic problem with products produced between July 30, 2015, and September 17, 2015. Because the company refused to recall these products, FSIS has directed personnel to detain them in commerce.

The affected products may be labeled as chicken cordon bleu, chicken Kiev, or chicken broccoli and cheese, and bear the establishment number P-1358 inside the USDA mark of inspection. They were shipped to retail and food service locations nationwide under various brands, including Acclaim, Antioch Farms, Buckley Farms, and Schwan's. Although the products are labeled as uncooked (raw) with cooking instructions, FSIS notes that some case patients reported following these instructions and using food thermometers, yet still became ill. Therefore, FSIS advises that using a food thermometer to properly cook these products will not protect public health.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them and should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. Special attention is required from the food service industry and food handlers. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider. FSIS is working with public health partners, including the Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the ongoing investigation.

The recalled product

Product
FSIS Issues Public Health Alert For Stuffed Chicken Products Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination
Category
Food — Frozen Poultry
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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