Kraft Heinz pulled hundreds of thousands of pounds of Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon from stores after company tests spotted dangerous germs. The food giant yanked nearly 368,000 pounds of the popular breakfast meat from shelves across America and overseas. Workers at the South Carolina plant made the contaminated bacon between late April and mid-June. The company shipped the risky products to grocery stores from coast to coast and even sent some to Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands. Federal food safety officials jumped into action after learning about the contamination problem.
Listeria bacteria can make people very sick or even kill them if they eat infected food. The deadly germs pose the biggest threat to pregnant women, babies, elderly people, and anyone with weak immune systems. Victims often develop high fevers, neck stiffness, confusion, and severe muscle pain that can lead to dangerous seizures. About 1,600 Americans catch listeria poisoning each year and roughly 260 die from the infection. Medical experts warn that healthy adults can also become seriously ill from eating contaminated meat products.
Shoppers need to check their fridges and freezers right away for three different package sizes of the recalled turkey bacon. The dangerous products come with specific numbers printed on the packages that help identify the contaminated batches. Smart consumers should toss out any suspicious bacon or take it back to the store for a full refund. Health officials stress that nobody should risk eating these products even if they look and smell normal. The recall follows last year's deadly deli meat outbreak that killed ten people and sickened dozens more.
Listeria bacteria can make people very sick or even kill them if they eat infected food. The deadly germs pose the biggest threat to pregnant women, babies, elderly people, and anyone with weak immune systems. Victims often develop high fevers, neck stiffness, confusion, and severe muscle pain that can lead to dangerous seizures. About 1,600 Americans catch listeria poisoning each year and roughly 260 die from the infection. Medical experts warn that healthy adults can also become seriously ill from eating contaminated meat products.
Shoppers need to check their fridges and freezers right away for three different package sizes of the recalled turkey bacon. The dangerous products come with specific numbers printed on the packages that help identify the contaminated batches. Smart consumers should toss out any suspicious bacon or take it back to the store for a full refund. Health officials stress that nobody should risk eating these products even if they look and smell normal. The recall follows last year's deadly deli meat outbreak that killed ten people and sickened dozens more.
