Salmonella outbreak brings Turkey recall across the US the week before Thanksgiving

pulse

November 16, 2018 2:17 PM

The Department of Agriculture's "Food Safety Inspection Service" (FSIS) recalled 91,338 pounds of raw turkey products from Jennie-O Turkey on Thursday.

91,338 pounds

The US Department of Agriculture recalled a number of turkey products linked to the 2018 salmonella outbreak which hit 35 states, with Thanksgiving a week away.

Classed with a "High" health risk, the department's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) recalled 91,338 pounds (41,430 kilograms) of raw turkey products with the Jennie-O Turkey label on Thursday, they said in a statement.

The recall affects four products distributed nationwide, which are all one-pound packets of ground turkey mince with the expiry dates 10/01/2018 and 10/02/2018.

They include "Italian seasoned" and "Taco seasoned" turkey mince — the FSIS has released images of the product labels.

In the report of the recall, the FSIS said they called in the products after a patient tested positive for salmonella and the sample from the turkey matched the outbreak strain.

As of November 5, 2018, 164 people were affected by the 2018 salmonella outbreak which spanned 35 states, put 63 people in hospital, and resulted in one death.

The FSIS' salmonella report says evidence "indicates that raw turkey products from a variety of sources are contaminated with Salmonella."

The FSIS warns that eating Salmonella-contaminated food can cause salmonellosis. "The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product," they said.

In the report, they said: "Please note that FSIS is continuing to investigate illnesses associated with this widespread outbreak, and additional product from other companies may also be recalled."

Thanksgiving falls on November 23, 2018, and around 88% of people the the US will eat turkey on the day, that's 46 million turkeys each year.

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