A break in the cold chain, referred to by industry as temperature abuse, because of a mechanical malfunction prompted C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. to recall dozens of perishable products, some containing meat or poultry, from two Target stores.
Holding food at incorrect temperatures can result in the growth of spoilage organisms or pathogens. Temperature abuse may result in the growth of the proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus, Shiga-toxin producing E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, according to public health officials.
In an unusual situation, both the FDA and the USDA posted recall notices. The C&S company recall notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration reports the brands of implicated products include Kraft and Lactaid. In the product list posted with it’s recall notice, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service named several national brands, including Oscar Mayer, Johnsonville, Hillshire, Hormel, Nathan’s Famous, Ball Park, Hebrew National, Panera Bread.
All of the implicated products were shipped to two Target stores only. Those stores are at 98 Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack, and 160 North Research Place in Central Islip.
“The problem was discovered when the firm notified FSIS that the product was held at an incorrect temperature and then inadvertently shipped into commerce. All remaining inventory of the recalled items have been removed from the store and destroyed,” according to the recall posted by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
If consumers have purchased any of the affected products, they should dispose of the products and contact Target Guest Relations at 800-440-0680 for assistance and a full refund in the form of a Target gift card, according to the company recall notice posted on the FDA website.
As of the posting of the recall notices, there hadn’t been any confirmed reports of adverse reactions related to consumption of the products. However, the FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers, possibly presenting an ongoing threat.
The FSIS complete list of products and UPC code numbers for products sold at the Commack location can be found here. The FSIS complete list of products, product labels and UPC code numbers for products sold at the Central Islip location can be found here.
The FDA plans to post product lists of the recalled foods under its jurisdiction on the page at this link.
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