Recent News

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received information regarding a recall for Foster Farms, a Livingston, Calif., based establishment. On Friday, July 4, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Safety Inspection Service announced that an undetermined amount of chicken products that may be contaminated with a particular strain of Salmonella Heidelberg were being recalled.

The recalled product includes fresh chicken products sold by retailers under Foster Farms or private label brand names, with varying "use or freeze by" dates ranging from March 16 through March 31, 2014, and frozen Sunland Chicken products with "best by" dates from March 7 through March 11, 2015. The products subject to recall bear the establishment number "P6137," P6137A" or "P7632" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The chicken products were produced from March 7 through March 13, 2014. These products were shipped to Costco, Foodmaxx, Kroger, Safeway and other retail stores and distribution centers in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The list of products subject to recall can be accessed here.

FSIS and the company want the public to be aware that the products are most likely no longer available for purchase, but may be in consumers' freezers. FSIS was notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of a Salmonella Heidelberg illness on June 23, 2014, associated with the consumption of a boneless skinless chicken breast product. Working in conjunction with CDC, FSIS determined that there is a link between boneless skinless chicken breast products from Foster Farms and this illness. Based on FSIS' epidemiological and traceback investigations, one case-patient has been identified in California with an illness onset date of May 5, 2014. This illness is part of an ongoing outbreak being monitored and investigated by FSIS and CDC. Until this point, there had been no direct evidence that linked the illnesses associated with this outbreak to a specific product or production lot.

FSIS reminds consumers to properly handle raw poultry in a manner to prevent contamination from spreading to other foods and food contact surfaces. FSIS further reminds consumers of the critical importance of following package cooking instructions for frozen or fresh chicken products and general food safety guidelines when handling and preparing any raw meat or poultry.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.