(NEXSTAR) — A California company has issued a recall for 83 of its beef jerky products that may be “adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes,” the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced.
Boyd Specialties, LLC, of Canton, said the recall affects 1,634 pounds of jerky shipped to retail locations in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas. The affected products came in 15 different flavors, and were sold under more than 20 different brand names.
Inspectors with the Food Safety Inspection Service became aware of possible contamination after a sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes during routine “follow-up procedures,” the FSIS said. There have yet to be any reports of illness, the agency said.
Consumers who believe they may have purchased one of the affected products are encouraged to discard the jerky or return it for a refund. The products, produced on Feb. 23, 2022, all bear the establishment number “EST. 40269” on the USDA mark of inspection.
A full list of the recalled products and photos of their labels can be found at the FSIS website.
Listeriosis, an infection caused by foodborne listeria monocytogenes bacteria, affects roughly 1,600 people each year, around 260 of whom die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those at the highest risk are pregnant women, newborns, young children, those over 65 and those with weakened immune systems. Pregnant woman are also 10 times more likely to contract listeria infection, and pregnant Hispanic women are roughly 24 times more likely. In pregnant women, listeria infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths or preterm labor.
Symptoms of listeria infection include fever and diarrhea, along with headache, stiff neck, nausea, loss of balance, abdominal pain, confusion and convulsions, according to the CDC and FDA. Pregnant women, however, typically only experience flu-like symptoms and fever, the CDC says.
