Ready-to-eat chicken from a wide range of stores, including Aldi and Trader Joe’s stores in some U.S. states, has been recalled because of concerns about possible Listeria contamination.
The USDA issued an initial recall September 28, 2019, and then expanded that recall on October 8, 2019, after officials learned the chicken was used in additional products, including from grocery store deli counters. The chicken is from Tip Top Poultry of Rockmart, Georgia, which announced the recall after product samples tested positive for Listeria.
This recall involves ready-to-eat chicken: in other words, chicken that is sold already fully cooked, such as some lunch meats, chicken in salads or wraps, or chicken pot pie. Raw chicken does not appear to be part of the recall.
Affected stores include Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, Piggly Wiggly, and Kings Supermarket.
Aldi stores affected are in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
The ready-to-eat chicken was sold under multiple product names, brands, and varieties, including frozen, cooked, diced, and shredded chicken. Some recalled products include ready-to-eat sandwiches and several varieties of chicken salad. Chicken pot pie from Trader Joe’s as well as butter chicken spring rolls under Kroger’s Private Selection brand are included in the recall. A list of the types of recalled chicken can be viewed here. Photos of the labels of recalled products can be found here.
We’re not yet sure exactly which Aldi products are affected. It’s important to know that these appear to involve ready-to-eat products, so they may include ready-made salads. We’ll update this post as we learn more.
The products have the establishment number “Est. P-17453” in the USDA mark of inspection. They were produced between January 21 and September 24 of 2019. Their product codes range from 10000 to 19999 and from 70000 to 79999.
If you have any of the chicken products affected by the recall, they should be thrown away or returned to the store. A full list of the affected stores and states can be viewed here.
Listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in children, the elderly, and others with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
The USDA says there have not been any reports of illness related to the recall.
