A public health alert issued Friday warns people who recently bought Premo brand meat or chicken wraps in 10 states to monitor themselves for symptoms of Listeria infection.
The ham, chicken and Italian wraps had best-by dates of Feb. 12 and Feb. 14 and were made with cheese that has been recalled because of possible Listeria contamination.
“A recall was not requested because it is believed that all products have been consumed and are past their ‘Best by’ dates,” according to the alert posted Friday by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“The products bear establishment number ‘EST. 45360’ or ‘P-45360’ inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin and West Virginia.”
JLM Manufacturing of Shelby Township, MI, produced the meat and chicken wraps on Jan. 23 and 25. The wraps were sold in 5-ounce plastic packages, each containing one wrap. Implicated flavors are:
Premo Ham & Cheddar Wrap;
- Premo Italian Wrap; and
- Premo Tuscan Chicken Wrap.
Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled wraps and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical attention and tell their doctors about the possible exposure to the bacteria.
It can take up to 70 days after exposure for symptoms to develop, so consumers who have eaten the recalled wraps are urged to monitor themselves for symptoms in the coming months. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
Although the public health alert about the Premo brand wraps did not name the cheese supplier, hundreds of cheeses and other products containing cheese made by Deutsch Kase Haus LLC have been recalled this month.
Cheese brands involved include Sargento, Sara Lee, Saputo, Dutch Valley and Guggisberg, as well as a variety of store-branded products sold by Meijer, Albertsons, H-E-B and other retailers.
The recalls, which began Feb. 10, stem from a random test conducted by Tennessee inspectors on samples of Amish Classics cheese collected from a retailer and produced by Deutsch Kase Haus LLC of Middleburg, IN. The cheese tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes and Tennessee officials posted a consumer alert.
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating the situation along with officials in several states. However, a clause in the federal code prevents FDA from releasing information about what companies bought cheese from Deutsch Kase Haus because such details are considered “confidential corporate information.”
Editor’s note: For additional information on the related recalls, please see:
- “Another 130 cheese products recalled for Listeria; FDA gagged”
- “Saputa pulls gouda from stores in latest Listeria recall”
- “String of cheese recalls continues, as does Listeria probe”
- “Guggisberg Cheese recalls a dozen products because of Listeria”
- “Sara Lee recalls cheese; 3rd-party plant has history of Listeria”
- “Taylor Farms recalls Signature, HEB salads; Listeria in cheese”
- “UPDATED: Listeria in cheese; recalls by Sargento, Meijer, others”
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)
