The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today that Costco’s El Camino Real store in San Francisco is recalling more than 9,000 rotisserie chicken units – more than 39,000 pounds of chicken products – for potential Salmonella Heidelberg contamination in connection with the Foster Farms Salmonella outbreak.
According to a press release, the products were sold directly to consumers in a Costco located at 1600 El Camino Real in San Francisco, CA, between Sept. 11 and 23, 2013. Products subject to recall are:
- 8,730 “Kirkland Signature Foster Farms” rotisserie chickens
- 313 total units of “Kirkland Farm” rotisserie chicken soup, rotisserie chicken leg quarters, and rotisserie chicken salad
The recall announcement came after a group of individuals who fell ill with Salmonella Heidelberg infections reported that they had eaten rotisserie chicken products prepared in, and purchased at, the Costco El Camino Real store. Epidemiologic and traceback investigations by FSIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health and the County of San Mateo Public Health Department revealed the link between the Costco rotisserie chicken products and the Foster Farms Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak. Strains of Salmonella Heidelberg associated with the outbreak are known to be resistant to multiple antibiotics. Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. Salmonella infections can be life-threatening, especially to those with weak immune systems, such as infants, the elderly, and persons with HIV or undergoing chemotherapy. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours. Additional symptoms may be chills, headache, nausea and vomiting that can last up to seven days.
