Potentially contaminated corn prompts grocery chain to recall chicken salad

A regional grocery chain headquartered in St. Louis is recalling chicken salad from 32 of its stores because it contains corn from a third-party supplier that has been recalled because of possible Listeria contamination.

Schnuck Markets Inc. did not name the supplier of the corn or report how the potential contamination was discovered.

Similarily, other companies have recalled products in recent days saying they contain corn from a third-party supplier. Those recalls report the supplier warned of possible contamination from Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. None of those recalls name the corn supplier.

Schnuck Markets is urging customers who bought “Schnucks Santa Fe Chicken Salad” to check it for the UPC number 82676695142 and return the product to the store of purchase for a full refund. People with questions can contact the Schnucks consumer affairs department at 314-994-4400 or 1-800-264-4400.

As of yesterday, no federal public health officials had not received any reports of confirmed illnesses in relation to any of the product recalls that cite the potentially contaminated corn.

However, it can take up to 70 days after exposure for symptoms of Listeria infection to develop. Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled chicken salad should monitor themselves in the coming weeks and seek medical treatment if they develop symptoms of listeriosis.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, and sometimes diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Listeriosis is an invasive infection that can easily spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. Serious and sometimes fatal infections develop in older adults, young children and people with weakened immune systems.

Perople 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. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics, but proper diagnosis requires specific lab tests.

Schnucks locations that sold the recalled chicken salad are: