Colorado Department of Agriculture Recalled Chicken Products On Staphylococcal Contamination Fear

Murray’s Inc., a Pennsylvanian based company that produce gluten free chicken under the label of Bell & Evans has been forced to recall approximately 32,000 pounds of chicken products for fear of a possible Staphylococcus contamination.

The product recalled after a team from the Colorado Department of Agriculture has inspected certain breaded chicken foods and found worryingly positive results for enterotoxins of Staphylococcus.

The products inspected are 12-oz. boxes of “Bell & Evans Gluten Free Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets” and 10.5-oz. boxes of “Bell & Evans Gluten Free Breaded Chicken Breast” and both are marked with P-516 inside the inspection mark from the USDA. As per the recall instructions, all affected products are marked with a “Best By” date of August 9^th 2015.

Till yesterday, no cases of food poisoning have been reported, but the inspection team felt it necessary to issue a Class I recall in order to prevent severe cases of contamination.

Food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus Aureus infection is a severe gastrointestinal illness with the symptoms of nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. Normally the infection spreads quickly, but it cannot cause severe illness. The patient will probably recover in less than 4 days.

Though, S. Aureus is a common bacteria, found in about 25% of healthy people, but it does present a health risk when contaminating food, as it secretes distinct toxins which in turn can cause food poisoning. These toxins are heat resistant, which means that cooking does not destroy them.

The USDA has advised some precautionary measure while preparing food such as; keep the food preparation area and equipment clean and sterile, wash hands thoroughly before handling or preparing food, do not prepare food if suffering from open sores or wounds, do not prepare food if you have a nose or an eye infection.