Meat giant Cargill is recalling 36 million pounds of turkey after a government hunt for the source of a salmonella outbreak that has killed one person in California, sickened five in Pennsylvania and dozens more in the U.S.
All of the packages recalled include the code “Est. P-963,” according to Cargill, though packages were labeled under many different brands. For a complete list of products, click here.
The recall also includes unlabeled ground turkey as well as products packaged under the HEB, Safeway, Kroger, Randall's, Tom Thumb and Giant Eagle grocery store brands.
Local supermarkets, Giant and Martin's are removing all Shady Brook Farms ground turkey from their shelves in ordinance with the recall.
The Minnosota-based company said it was initiating the recall after its own internal investigation, an Agriculture Department investigation and the information about the illnesses released by the Center for Disease Control this week.
“Given our concern for what has happened, and our desire to do what is right for our consumers and customers, we are voluntarily removing our ground turkey products from the marketplace,” said Steve Willardsen, president of Cargill's turkey processing
business.
A chart on the CDC's website shows cases have occurred every month since early March, with spikes in May and early June. The latest reported cases were in mid-July, although the CDC said some recent cases may not have been reported yet. The CDC said the strain is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics, which can make treatment more difficult.
According to the CDC, Pennsylvania has reported five illnesses in connection with the meat, with only Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Illinois and California reporting more.
Twenty other states have also reported illnesses.
Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever and cramps up to 72 hours after infection. The CDC reports that the illness is usually between four and 7 days and most don’t need treatment. However, in some cases, the infection can be life-threatening.
Cargill has issued a public apology to anyone the tainted ground turkey has affected.
