Repeated Listeria positives spur recall of food sent to schools

Weeks after most school districts dismissed students for summer break, 45 varieties of pre-prepared sandwiches are being recalled from 38 districts because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Let’s Do Lunch Inc., doing business as Integrated Food Service, put a positive spin on the recall, saying “due to school summer breaks, any foods remaining in frozen storage can swiftly be returned to the company.”

However, the company did not indicate when the 45 products — including breakfast sandwiches and wraps, burgers, chicken patties, hot dogs and deli-style sandwiches — were distributed or whether any of them had been served to students.

The 38 school districts that received the recalled foods include public schools in Albuquerque, Houston, Indianapolis, Portland and Sacramento. No retail products are included in the recall.

No illnesses had been reported as of the recall posting, but it can take up to 70 days for symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infections to develop.

The potentially contaminated food was produced at a facility where the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found Listeria monocytogenes “on multiple food contact surfaces where the products were produced on several different occasions” during routine FDA environmental sampling, according to the recall notice.

School foodservice distributors in 29 states received the products from Integrated Food Service (IFS). A list of the specific recalled products is available on the IFS website, as well as a partial list of school districts that received the products. The list will be updated daily as additional information becomes available, according to the recall notice.

“IFS will work closely with schools and school foodservice distributors until the company can assure that no recalled product remains in their locations. Any school district that believes it may have product still in frozen storage that is affected by this recall should contact the IFS recall coordinator at 800-560-9999 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday, or at recall@integratedfoodservice.com for return or disposal instructions.”

Anyone who ate any of the recalled products and develops symptoms of listeriosis infection should seek medical attention.

Listeria monocytogenes is a microscopic organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although, healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria monocytogenes infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

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