Kenosha Beef International Recalls Beef Product Due to Possible Listeria Contamination

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2015 Kenosha Beef International, a Columbus, Ohio, establishment, is recalling approximately 21,427 pounds of ready-to-eat beefsteak patty product that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The fully cooked beefsteak patties were produced on Jan. 24, 2015. The following product is subject to recall:

• 35.3-lb. boxes of Fully Cooked Black Angus Ground Beefsteak (chopped and formed) with product number 87657 and use thru date of 01/24/16.

The product subject to recall bears the establishment number EST. 10130 inside the USDA mark of inspection. This product was shipped to distributors in Illinois and North Carolina for further distribution to restaurants.

The problem was discovered by a customer of Kenosha Beef International. The customer, a further processor, tested a sample of product produced the same day as the recalled product, returning a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illness due to consumption of these products.

Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

FSIS advises all consumers to reheat ready-to-eat product until steaming hot.

Media and consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact Dennis Vignieri, President and CEO, at (262) 859-2272.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.

PREPARING PRODUCT FOR SAFE CONSUMPTION

USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHOTLINE or visit

www.fsis.usda.gov

• Wash hands with warm, soapy water before and after handling raw meat and poultry for at least 20 seconds. Wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water. Immediately clean spills.
• Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, bologna or other deli meats unless reheated until steaming hot.
• Do not eat refrigerated pate, meat spreads from a meat counter or smoked seafood found in the refrigerated section of the store. Foods that do not need refrigeration, like canned tuna and canned salmon, are safe to eat. Refrigerate after opening.
• Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk and do not eat foods that have unpasteurized milk in them.
• Do not eat salads made in the store, such as ham salad, chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad or seafood salad.
• Do not eat soft cheeses, such as Feta, queso blanco, queso fresco, Brie, Camembert cheeses, blue-veined cheeses and Panela, unless it is labeled as made with pasteurized milk.
• Use precooked or ready-to-eat food as soon as you can. L. monocytogenes can grow in the refrigerator. The refrigerator should be 40ß F or cooler and the freezer 0ß F or colder.
• Use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature of your refrigerator.