Almost 12 million pounds of chicken and turkey products sold at major retailers across the country have been recalled.
The ready-to-eat poultry products, produced by BrucePac (a pre-cooked meat producer), may have been contaminated with listeria, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The affected foods generally include ready-to-eat meals like salad, rice and pasta bowls that contain the potentially tainted poultry. And those items were sold nationwide at major retailers nationwide like Aldi, Walmart, Target, Giant Eagle, HEB, Trader Joe's and Kroger.
On Oct. 21, 2024, grocery chain Sprouts alerted consumers that frozen meal company Red's expanded its recall to include more items in connection with the BrucePac recall: Red's Chicken Chorizo Burrito and Red's Chicken & Cheddar Burritos in both single- and four-packs with specific lot codes and best by dates.
"Although all our certificates of analysis have returned negative for listeria, we advise consumers who purchased any potentially affected products to return them for a full refund," Red's said in a statement.
Costco also sold some of the affected products and the company recently expanded its recall list to include even more chicken and turkey meals. The recently recalled items from Costco include specific lot codes of Rana Chicken Truffle Carbonara, Red's Southwestern Grilled Chicken Mini Burritos and El Monterey Mexican Grill Chicken & Cheese Taquitos among other products.
This week, Costco also recalled some of its Kirkland Signature smoked salmon due to possible listeria contamination.
The poultry products included in the recall were produced between June 19, 2024, and Oct. 8, 2024, the FSIS says, and may have "best by" dates as far in the future as 2026.
“After learning that ready-to-eat chicken tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, we stopped production and immediately recalled all products that may have been affected,” BrucePac said in a statement in response to the recall.
The statement continued, “We are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to notify consumers and contact the food companies and distributors to whom we sold the recalled products.”
Listeria is a type of bacteria that can cause serious illness if consumed. Certain groups such as young children, older adults and pregnant people are more vulnerable to severe complications from listeria.
The affected products were distributed across the country to grocery stores, restaurants and other institutions. Additionally, some of the products were distributed by BrucePac and then distributed further, making the recall that much more complex.
Ready-to-eat meat recall 2024
The FSIS first alerted consumers to the recall on Oct. 9, 2024.
During routine testing, the agency discovered Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria that causes listeria infections, was present in ready-to-eat poultry products from BrucePac. Further testing traced the source of the bacteria back to BrucePac ready-to-eat chicken, the FSIS says.
The FSIS subsequently updated its list of recalled products on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11 to include more products.
There haven't been any illnesses associated with the recall, but the FSIS is "concerned that some product may be available for use in restaurants, institutions and other establishments," the alert says. It's also possible that those other institutions used the ready-to-eat poultry in products that are still on shelves or in consumers' homes.
If you have any products included in the recall, you should not eat them. Instead, throw them away or return them to where you purchased the products.
Schools that may have received recalled poultry products
In addition to the many major grocery stores that received recalled chicken and turkey products, hundreds of schools in at least 21 states and the District of Columbia also received the tainted meals.
Schools that may have received these products are located in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, the FSIS said in a preliminary list released on Oct. 17, 2024.
The FSIS list of schools that received recalled poultry was updated on Oct. 24 to include more schools in Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Mexico and Vermont.
Meat recall list: Which products are affected?
The recall now includes more than 200 different ready-to-eat chicken and turkey products that amount to about 10 million pounds of recalled meat. Here is the USDA's full 300-page list of recalled products with photos of the product labels.
The products were sold in multiple major grocery stores, including:
- Trader Joe's
- Walmart
- Aldi
- Target
- HEB
- Giant Eagle
- Kroger
- Costco
- Sprouts
The recall also affects products with well-known brand names like:
- Jenny Craig
- Atkins
- Signature Select
- Boston Market
- Amazon Fresh
- Michelina's
- Rao's
- Dole
- Red's
Many of the recalled products are ready-made salad, rice or pasta bowls that include potentially contaminated chicken or turkey.
Some of the products included in the recall will show the establishment number 51205 or P-51205 inside or under the USDA mark of inspection, the FSIS says. However, due to further distribution and processing, some of the products may show different establishment numbers.
Some of the products in the recall include:
- Red's Grilled Chicken & Cheddar Burrito, with lot code SD4271 and a best buy date of March 27, 2026.
- Great Value Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, with lot code 24225 and a best by date of August 12, 2025.
- Jenny Craig Classic Chicken Carbonara, with lot code 24243 and a best by date of February 21, 2026.
- Trader Joe's Salad With BBQ Flavored Chicken, with various best by dates between September 29, 2024, and October 15, 2024.
- Atkins Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo, with product code J4281 and best by date of October 7, 2025.
- Boston Market Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl, with product code J4268 and a best by date of September 24, 2025.
- Michelina's Chicken Fried Rice, with product code J4239 and best by dates on or before August 26, 2025 or product code J4270 and best by dates on or before September 26, 2025.
- Good & Gather Chicken Tikka Masala, with lot code SO58227 and a best by date of February 28, 2026.
- Taylor Farms Caesar Salad With Chicken, with establishment number 34013 and best by dates on or before October 12, 2024.
- Giant Eagle Fiesta Salad Bowl With Chicken, with establishment number 21794 and best by dates on or before October 11, 2024.
- Amazon Fresh Cobb Salad With Chicken & Bacon, with establishment number 34013 and best by dates on or before October 11, 2024.
See the full list of product included in the recall and photos of the product labels here.
Listeria symptoms
Listeria is an infection caused by bacteria. When listeria infects the intestines, it causes gastrointestinal symptoms similar to other foodborne illnesses, such as diarrhea and vomiting, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explain.
Intestinal listeria infections usually start within 24 hours of eating the contaminated food. The symptoms are typically mild and resolve within three days, the CDC says.
Some people who get an intestinal listeria infection go on to develop a more severe invasive infection as well, meaning the bacteria has spread beyond the gut.
Invasive listeria is especially concerning for people who are pregnant, newborn babies, older adults and people who have weakened immune systems, the CDC says. In pregnant people, invasive listeria can lead to miscarriage, premature delivery and stillbirth. The illness can also cause a life-threatening infection in the newborn.
The signs of a invasive listeria infection in pregnant people include fever and flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches, according to the CDC.
Other people might also experience:
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Seizures
If you have symptoms of a listeria infection and may have eaten contaminated food, you should contact your health care provider.
