The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced over the weekend a recall of nearly 325,000 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat meat products manufactured by Buona Vita Inc. because of a possible listeria contamination. Listeria bacteria can cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal bacterial infection.
Buona Vita Inc., based out of New Jersey, makes precooked, frozen Italian food products. Products affected include meatballs, dinner loafs, salisbury patties, breakfast patties, and burger patties made with chicken, pork, beef, and turkey.
Brand names included in the recall are:
- Buona Vita Inc.
- Cupino
- Mama Isabella
- Vincent Giordano
- Dirusso
- Silver Lake
- Argenta Pride
- Whitsons Food Service
- M&R Frosted Food Co.
- Orefresco
- Bullpen
- Napoli
- Whorle’s
- Buonamici
- Monabella
All products recalled were manufactured in May. The recall is a class 1 risk, meaning there is a reasonable probability that using the product will cause serious health consequences or death, according to the U.S.D.A.’s website. There have been no reports of illnesses yet, but the infection is known to have a long incubation period. The retailers where these products have been distributed will be listed on the U.S.D.A.’s Food Safety and Inspection Service website when it becomes available.
Symptoms of listeriosis are a fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. The disease is especially dangerous in older adults, pregnant women, infants, and those with weakened immune systems.
A 2024 outbreak from cantaloupes infected with listeria killed 30 people. Food safety practices, like scrubbing vegetables and fully cooking meat, can reduce one’s risk of exposure to the bacteria.
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