A supplier to the country’s largest foodservice supplier, Sysco, is recalling more than 3 tons of “Philly Beef Steak” after the producer’s internal testing showed possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. 

The supplier had not yet reported complete distribution information as of the posting of the recall yesterday. 

No illnesses had been confirmed in relation to the recalled ready-to-eat meat as of Sept. 11, but it can take up to 70 days after exposure for symptoms of Listeria infection to develop. Anyone who has eaten or handled any of the product should monitor themselves during the coming weeks and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms.

CTI Foods LLC of Owingsville, KY, produced the 6,720 pounds of the sliced beef product on Aug. 9, according to the recall notice posted by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The Kentucky company received results from it’s finished product testing program on Sept. 7.

The Sept. 10 recall notice did not indicate when CTI shipped the implicated product. The company sent the Sysco branded sliced beef to a distribution warehouse in Ohio for further distribution to undisclosed foodservice operations. 

All of the recalled philly sliced beef  has the establishment number “EST. 19085” printed inside the USDA mark of inspection on the label. Additional identifying information for the recalled product includes: “Classic Sysco” in 10-pound cases that contain four 2.5-pound bags. The boxes and the bags inside them are labeled “FULLY COOKED PHILLY BEEF STEAK SLICED Caramel Color Added” and have a package code of 4887097.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact John Spiller, media contact for CTI Foods LLC, at 817-869-1153.

“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,” according to the recall notice.

Specific laboratory tests are required to identify infections from Listeria. Anyone who becomes ill after eating or handling the recalled product should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to the bacteria.

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 and is life-threatening. 

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.

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