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Bar-S Foods Recall Due To Listeria Threat

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Listeria seen on microscope.

Bas-S Foods recalled products due to Listeria risk.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – The United States Department of Agriculture stated Tuesday that Bar-S Foods Company recalled over 350,000 pounds of corn dogs, and hot dogs made with pork and chicken because they might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No cases have been reported so far, as the company is just taking a measure of precaution to reduce the risk of infection as much as possible. Even if tests results showed that the food was most likely not contaminated, Bar-S Foods decided to make the recall anyway.

The corn dogs and hot dogs were manufactured in a factory where samples were tested positive for Listeria. These bacteria are highly resistant because they can be found in frozen fruits and veggies. Most bacteria usually die at freezing temperatures.

Heating frozen food in microwaves is dangerous because the heat is uneven. Thoroughly cooking food is the best option to make sure that all bacteria are destroyed. Listeria contamination can cause Listeriosis, an infection that is quite dangerous for people with weak immune systems, children, pregnant women, and seniors.

The symptoms are various including diarrhea, upset stomach, muscle aches, and fever. Health officials from the CDC explained that Listeriosis causes a more invasive infection in most cases.

When this happens, patients experience convulsions, loss of balance, confusion, stiff neck, and headaches. On the other hand, these symptoms might be very dangerous for pregnant women increasing the risk of life-threatening infections of the baby, premature delivery, stillbirth, and miscarriage.

Seniors and people with weak immune systems, such as cancer patients might even develop meningitis or sepsis. The recalled products include Bar-S Classic Franks, Bar-S Classic Bun Length Franks, Signature Foods Corn Dogs, and Bar-S Classic Corn Dogs.

These foods were manufactured between July 10th and July 13th this year. Company officials advise people who have already bought the recalled products to return them to the store so they can receive a full refund.

Bar-S Foods and the United States Department of Agriculture are worried that some customers might have frozen the recalled products. That is why health officials strongly recommend people to check their freezers to see whether they have any of these foods.

They must immediately discard them or return to the store to receive a refund.

Image Source:Public Domain

Starbucks Sandwiches Presumably Contaminated with Listeria

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"Sandwich"

The English Muffin, Egg, Sausage, and Cheddar Cheese sandwich was thought to be contaminated.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – The voluntary recall is taking over the food industry. Yesterday it was moldy applesauce, today pre-packed sandwiches served by the biggest coffee distributor in the country. The Starbucks sandwiches presumably contaminated with listeria were removed from sale and sent back to Progressive Gourmet, the coffee shop’s food supplier.

Roughly 250 Starbucks stores were affected by the recall. All of them were situated in the Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas regions. The product that was thought to be infected with the deadly bacteria is the Egg, Sausage, and Cheddar Cheese served on English Muffin sandwich.

According to an FDA official statement, as soon as the notice was out, the coffee giant immediately removed all the products from sale. The affected pre-packed meals only reached the 250 stores in question.

It seems that Progressive Gourmet initiated the recall after a routine inspection revealed some traced of listeria on a contact surface. The affected lot is the one with a Best before date of August 7th, 2016. The sandwiches are packed in clear plastic foil. The food supplier is working with the FDA on the voluntary recall.

Starbucks also made an official statement saying that all of the stores were checked, and all of the affected products were sent back to the suppliers. It seems that the coffee shop tested the recalled food, and it turned out negative for listeria presence. But better safe than sorry.

In the meantime, the latest report from the CDC shows that the United States see around 260 Listeria-related deaths every year. And the bacteria can trigger an astonishing amount of 1600 different diseases.

Listeriosis, or listeria contamination, is relatively easy to recognize. Patients usually show symptoms like fever, muscle aches, diarrhea and other such gastrointestinal inconveniences. The main problem with listeria is that once it gets inside the body, it almost always spreads from the intestines to the blood stream and other body parts.

Usually, the most affected individuals are children, people with a compromised immune system and the elderly. Cases of infection in other, healthy-considered individuals are somewhat rare.

Furthermore, Listeria is a sneaky bacteria. It sometimes starts to show symptoms after two months. So when a person falls ill, the source of infection may have already reached hundreds of other individuals.

The good news is that the Starbucks sandwiches presumably contaminated with listeria have been sent back to the manufacturer. But this is not the first time this year when Starbucks’ occupied the headlines. Earlier last month a study showed that the coffee shop’s beverages are filled with crazy amounts of sugar.

Image source: www.wikimedia.org

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