Trader Joe's Chicken and Rice Contaminated With Listeria
Canadian company Aliya's Foods Limited, the producer of the frozen entree, voluntarily recalled the product on Monday. No illness reports have been received yet.
According to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, 240 cartons of the 12.5-ounce boxes of chicken and rice were shipped to several Trader Joe's stores in the United States. Only 19 cartons were barred from being shipped from the distribution center.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed that none of the cartons have been distributed in Canada.
Trader Joe's advised customers to dispose of the product or to return it to retail stores for a refund.
Products that have been contaminated bear the SKU code "99032" and production date code "305 12." The code translates to a production date of Oct. 31, 2012.
Those who have been infected with the listeria bacteria may experience fever, neck stiffness, headaches and muscle aches. The bacteria has also been linked to stillbirths, miscarriages and fatal infections.
The USDA released a list of Trader Joe's locations that have received the contaminated products. It lists over 100 stores in Delaware, Connecticut, Florida, District of Columbia, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Virginia.
Earlier this year in September, Trader Joe's recalled their Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter in 18 states because it was linked to salmonella.
Sunland Inc., the producer of the Trader Joe's peanut butter, also recalled dozens of other nut butters because they were manufactured with the same equipment.
