Warning: Popular Meat Recall Affecting Michigan
BrucePac, based out of Durant, Oklahoma, is recalling nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
That’s right—9,986,245 pounds of food that could be carrying a harmful bacteria that can lead to some pretty serious health issues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) made the announcement today.
Warning: Popular Meat Recall Affecting Michigan
These RTE meat and poultry products were produced between June 19, 2024, and October 8, 2024. The recalled items didn’t just stay local either—they were shipped all across the country to other establishments and distributors, ultimately ending up at restaurants and institutions nationwide.
As of now, there’s no complete list of specific products, but once more information becomes available, we’ll get it.
If you’re trying to spot these products, they bear establishment numbers "51205 or P-51205," either inside or underneath the USDA inspection mark.
This recall stems from routine testing conducted by FSIS, which found traces of Listeria monocytogenes in BrucePac’s RTE poultry products. Further investigation confirmed that the source was, indeed, the RTE chicken produced by BrucePac.
2024 Food Recalls
The Negative Effects of Lysteria in Humans
Listeria in humans is no joke—it can lead to some seriously scary health problems. If you come into contact with it, especially through contaminated food, you’re at risk of listeriosis, a serious infection that can hit hard.
For most healthy adults, it might just feel like flu-like symptoms: fever, muscle aches, nausea, or diarrhea. But for certain groups of people, it gets much worse.
Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable. Listeria can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or severe infection in newborns. In fact, pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than the general population.
Older adults and those with weakened immune systems—like cancer patients or people living with chronic conditions—are also at high risk. For them, listeriosis can spread to the nervous system, leading to meningitis, convulsions, or even death.
It’s not something you want to take lightly. What’s scary about listeria is how resilient it is. It can survive and even grow in cold environments like your fridge, so it’s not just about cooking your food—proper storage and handling matter too. If you suspect you’ve been exposed, it’s crucial to seek medical help quickly. With listeria, the earlier it’s caught, the better the chance to prevent more severe complications.
LOOK: The 10 largest product recalls of the last decade
Gallery Credit: Beth Mowbray