BOISE, ID: On October 11, 2024, Albertsons Companies announced a voluntary recall of 12 varieties of its ReadyMeals and store-prepared deli products.
The action came after the product supplier, Fresh Creative Foods (of Reser’s Fine Foods, Inc.), initiated a recall because of a potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. A routine test conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) found that the chicken ingredient, which originated from BrucePac in Durant, Oklahoma, contained traces of the organism.
Symptoms of a Listeria infection in healthy individuals are typically short-lived: “high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.” However, in young children and others with weakened immune systems, such as frail or elderly individuals, the infections can turn serious, and sometimes fatal. Pregnant women with a Listeria infection have been known to suffer miscarriages and stillbirths.
Any person who is deemed high-risk and who is exhibiting flu-like symptoms within two months of exposure to the contaminated food is advised to seek medical attention.
Anyone who may have purchased ReadyMeals and other deli products made in any of the following 11 stores within the 21 U.S. states listed below should be on alert. Consumers are instructed to refrain from eating the products, which should be either discarded or returned to the point of purchase for a complete refund.
Impacted stores: Albertsons, Carrs-Safeway, Eagle, Jewel-Osco, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, and Vons.
Impacted U.S. states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.
A comprehensive list of the affected products, along with their UPCs (Universal Product Codes), sell-by dates, as well as information regarding affected stores and states, can be referenced in the FDA communication.
Albertsons Companies’ Customer Service Center can be reached for questions by calling 1-877-723-3929 on Monday through Friday, from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
If you have fallen ill with a Listeria infection or are suffering an adverse health outcome after consuming a contaminated food product, we would like to learn about your case. Our attorneys at Oliver Law Office (Contact Oliver Law Office) are experienced in a range of mass tort litigation and are here to help you fight for fair compensation. Please reach out to us today at 614-220-9100 or by visiting our contact page.