Chicken and Pork Salads Recalled for Listeria Risk

Taylor Farms, a company based in Salinas, California, has recalled about 6,630 pounds of chicken and pork salad products due to concerns that the items may be contaminated with listeria. According to news reports, the salad products contain cheese that is subject to another recall by Sargento Foods. Sargento, which supplies cheese products to Taylor Farms processing facilities in Dallas, Texas, and Tracy, California, recently recalled a variety of cheese products for listeria contamination after routine testing by a supplier revealed the presence of the bacteria.

The recalled salads were shipped to distribution centers in Los Angeles and Tracy; Portland, Oregon; and Houston, Ranaoke and San Antonio, Texas. Public health agencies are urging consumers who have purchased these products to not consume then. They could either be discarded or returned to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Symptoms and Dangers of Listeria

When it comes to food poisoning, listeria is among the most lethal food-borne illnesses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1,600 people get sick from listeria each year and about 260 die from the illness. Some of the symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions and sometimes, even diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

In pregnant women, listeriosis can be extremely dangerous causing miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. Pregnant women typically experience only fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches. If you have eaten a contaminated product and don’t have any symptoms, you may not need testing or treatment. However, if you are in a high-risk group (pregnant, elderly or have a compromised immune system), and become ill with symptoms, you should contact your doctor right away.

Protecting Your Rights

If you have been sickened as the result of a food product contaminated by listeria, make sure you isolate the left over food so no one else in your household consumes it. Get medical attention, treatment and care for your illness as soon as possible, and follow the doctor’s orders.

If you are diagnosed with listeriosis, have the leftover food tested independently in a laboratory to check for the presence of pathogens. Report your illness to your local health care agency, which tends to track trends in food-borne illnesses. Contact an experienced food poisoning lawyer who can help you secure compensation for damages such as medical expenses, lost income, hospitalization, pain and suffering and emotional distress.