Listeria recall of chicken hits Publix, Target, Amazon, Kroger, Albertsons and others

The listeria-launched recall of nearly 10 million pounds of meat and chicken products has reached the store brands of 7 of the top 10 grocery-selling chains in the nation, a few other chains you probably know about and several name brands.

So, you’ll want to keep reading if you shop at Walmart, Kroger, Albertson’s, Publix, H-E-B, Target, Meijer, Amazon Fresh, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Giant Eagle or buy products with chicken by name brands Atkins, Boston Market, Dole, Fresh Express, Rao’s, Michael Angelo’s, Don Pancho’s, Bistro 28, Jenny Craig or El Monterey.

This list includes a lesser known company in addition to several popular stores and brands.

Who recalled all this meat and chicken and why?

BrucePac is an Oregon company, but it was at the Durant, Oklahoma facility where USDA Food Safety Inspection Service testing found listeria in a finished ready-to-eat chicken product. BrucePac announced a recall of all ready-to-eat meat and poultry items made in that facility between June 19 and Oct. 8. That culminates to about 9,986,245 pounds of beef, pork, turkey — and, most of all, chicken.

Initially, the list of products affected were just those sold under BrucePac’s brands, BrucePac, City Grillers and Urban Bruce.

“Because we sell to other companies who resell, repackage, or use our products as ingredients in other foods, we do not have a list of retail products that contain our recalled items,” BrucePac wrote in a release posted to its site on Friday. That changed Thursday night.

The recall’s ripple effect

When an ingredient supplier has a foodborne illness problem, all of that supplier’s customers have a foodborne illness problem. On Thursday night, the additional recalls started being announced with Fresh Express premade salads with chicken and similar salads sold under Walmart’s Marketside brand, Aldi’s Little Salad Bar brand, Trader Joe’s and H-E-B store brands.

By Monday afternoon, the list of chicken products involved in the listeria recall filled a 326-page PDF. Most of the products are ready-to-eat salads with a “best by” date on or before October 13. Additionally, there are some frozen products, such as the Great Value, Boston Market, H-E-B, El Montrerey, some Amazon Fresh products and others.

Click on the above hyperlink to see all products from the brands involved as well as lot numbers and best by or expiration dates. If you have anything that’s been recalled, return it to the store for a full refund.

Albertsons: Signature Select (this includes all the chains owned by Albertsons, including Safeway and Vons).

Kroger: Kroger store brand, which might also turn up in the chains owned by Kroger, such as Ralphs, Dillon’s and King Soopers.

Publix: Publix Deli Chicken Street Taco Kit, best by dates of June 24 through October 16.

Walmart: Marketside and Great Value.